Shaquille O’Neal is reassuring his fans that they do not need to worry after seeing a photo of him in a hospital bed.
O’Neal shared a photo of himself laying in a hospital bed on Sunday following hip surgery. The retired NBA star and current commentator on the “NBA on TNT,” said he was doing fine.
“To all the people who are worried and concerned, first off, let me say thank you,” O’Neal tweeted. “And lastly no need to worry just had to get some BBL WORK AKA #hipreplacement,” he joked.
“Thanks and love you all. but no need to worry and yes I’m fine.”
A BBL is a Brazilian butt lift, a cosmetic procedure that transfers fat from the hips, abdomen, lower back and thighs into the buttocks.
O’Neal, 51, told ET in December that he was working to get back into better shape. He said he had lost 40 pounds and hopes to lose another 20.
“I got a couple people involved — it’s all about eating right. I got some blood work done, a friend of mine called me and said, ‘You’re fat,’ and she gave me this guy’s name, and he did some blood work, and you know, ‘cause I was the athlete — I wasn’t a salad eater. I won’t pay attention to any of that. I don’t care about one of that,” O’Neal said.
“I didn’t know what the difference between a carb and a protein, at 50 years old I never knew. So, he was saying you can’t do this, you can’t do that, more vegetables, my iron’s low. And once I just started changing those certain things, it dropped.”
He continued, “Plus the supplements I’m taking, and the shakes I’m drinking, the weight just fell off. I’m not at 100 percent ninja mode yet. I’m still 75 percent.”