Shaq sidelined from TNT after undergoing surgery

Mar 24, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA: Former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O’Neal speaks during a NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O’Neal is recovering from a procedure that will keep him off the air for a little bit of time.

The retired basketball great O’Neal tweeted a picture of himself from a hospital bed on Sunday night.

“i’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all,” O’Neal wrote (in reference to his TNT co-hosts Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker, who are helping anchor March Madness coverage for the network).

i’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all pic.twitter.com/4tY4X6v1Pj

— SHAQ (@SHAQ) March 19, 2023

TMZ Sports reported on Monday that O’Neal underwent surgery over the weekend to have an issue with his hip corrected. But the report adds that everything went according to plan and that O’Neal is already on the mend.

The 51-year-old O’Neal will be sidelined from his gig at TNT as a result of the procedure. TMZ Sports also says that there is no definite timetable for O’Neal’s return to the air but that he had said on a recent episode of “The Big Podcast with Shaq” that he was hoping to return from the pre-planned surgery around Apr. 16. The NBA playoffs (which TNT covers through the conference finals) begin on Apr. 15.

O’Neal, who retired in 2011 after playing 19 NBA seasons, recently detailed some of the steps that he is taking to get healthier. He is one of the most beloved figures in the sports world, and hopefully he has a smooth and speedy recovery.