Shaquille O’Neal and his illustrious career were subjected to highly painful injuries. However, they weren’t major career-threatening ones. He still played with immense pain and discomfort. This pain wouldn’t stop him from dominating the court. The four-time champion’s solution to battle out the pain included the consumption of painkillers. However, this practice had a lasting side effect that his former teammate Rick Fox opened up about.

Shaquille O’Neal consumed several painkillers to combat the pain. In the docuseries, he revealed that the first time he had a painkiller resulted in him having a great game. It eventually became a habit. He said, “I was having pains and I took it and I was like ‘oh,’ and I had a good game. So that was my ritual.” So the practice was to have a big meal, pop in two painkillers, and take a nap. He’d wake and feel “looser than a mug.” However, the painkiller would mess with his stomach.

Painkillers left a side effect on Shaquille O’Neal

The one-time MVP elaborated on the problems he faced with his stomach. He said, “I’d have to take a s**t.” Following this confession, his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Rick Fox opened up about the act. For starters, he was grateful that the bathrooms on the buses and planes were really small for 7ft Shaq.

He said, “I’m glad he couldn’t shit on the bathrooms in the buses, or really on planes. Cause had he been able to fit in those places, those would have been different rides.”

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He continued to state that Shaq’s consumption of painkillers wasn’t worrying as “he did what he had to do to be on the court.” Additionally, Fox added that the 15-time NBA All-Star always had a line that he wouldn’t cross.

So if Shaq was missing a game due to pain, it meant that he would have to do the extreme – something he didn’t want to cross. Fox also acknowledged that Shaq always played through injuries.

Following this, the three-time NBA Finals MVP stated that he was always under pressure. However, he refrained from showing it to the world or letting it affect his game. He claimed that the pressure was always around him and he played in pain for most parts of his career.

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What do you think about Shaquille O’Neal’s pre-game routine that included painkillers? Let us know in the comments below.