Shaq's Shock Photo Reveals His Recent Scary Trip To The Hospital

On March 19, 2023, Shaq took to Twitter with a photo of himself resting on a hospital bed, causing concern amongst his fans, who feared the star had experienced a serious medical incident.

The picture showed the sporting legend reclining on a spacious bed that accommodated his large frame. A drip was fed into his left hand, and a blood pressure monitor was strapped to his right arm.

In the caption, the 51-year-old sent a message to his NBA on TNT co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker as the duo continues tackling the March Madness coverage.

"I'm always watching @TurnerSportsEJ, and @Candace_Parker miss y'all," Shaq wrote. Not long after, Candace reposted the picture with the caption, "Love ya, big fella."

Former NBA center Roy Hibbert also showed concern, asking, "U good big man?" Other Twitter fans followed suit with questions about Shaq's health, while others shared supportive messages.

After causing a stir of confusion and concern amongst fans, Shaq took to his Instagram page to comically let his followers know the reason for his hospitalization: a hip replacement.

The legend began his March 20 post by thanking everyone that showed concern, after which he assured them that he was okay. "Just had some BBL work done aka #hipreplacement, but yes, I am fine. No need to worry," he noted.

Shaq played up on his Brazilian butt lift joke by adding a moving picture of himself with his shorts pulled up to show his backside. The star's backside was edited to pop in and out, appearing to get bigger and smaller.

The post garnered comments of amusement and relief, with thousands sending prayers for the NBA legend's quick recovery and supportive messages.

Earlier in March, Shaq discussed the surgery on The Big Podcast With Shaq, where he revealed he was hoping to be back working in early April.

The sports icon also spoke about his weight-loss journey, sharing that he would try to lose 30 pounds and get an eight-pack upon his return, as he only had a little over five-pack.

For the past few months, Shaq has spoken candidly about taking his health more seriously by losing weight after a doctor's visit led him to discover he had sleep apnea.

During a 2022 appearance on Logan Paul's Impaulsive podcast, Shaq said he was motivated to drop some pounds with help from his NBA on TNT co-host, Charles Barkley.

While speaking, the 51-year-old revealed he loved to create crazy motivation, adding that he looked at himself in the mirror and saw that he had the Charles Barkley retirement body.

Shaq said he didn't want his stomach to be over the belt anymore and told himself he needed to get slim. Shaq began working out and soon dropped some weight.

He then took to Instagram to share a video of himself showing off his abs, which eventually went viral. Shaq noted that after the clip went viral, he knew he had to live up to his new physical appearance.

Shaq noted that before he started working out, he was 401 pounds, but with hard work, he dropped to 365 pounds, but he needed to get back to 345 pounds.

Shaq revealed he wanted to have muscles everywhere and do an underwear ad with his sons for Fruit of the Loom. Overall, Shaq wanted to become a sex symbol.

Besides exercise, Shaq is also taking his diet seriously. As an athlete, he didn't pay close attention to what he was eating, but now he is away from the court, eating healthily is a priority.