Shaquille O’Neal is trying to become a better Shaquille O’Neal.
The NBA legend had fans concerned after he tweeted a photo of himself in a hospital bed on March 19.
“i’m always watching @TurnerSportsEJ and @Candace_Parker miss y’all,” he captioned the photo, referring to his Ernie Johnson and Candace Parker, two of his colleagues with TNT.
O’Neal, 51, clarified things the next day in a cheeky video of him in his Los Angeles Lakers uniform, with his posterior popping in and out, set to Adele’s “Hello.” He let people know he had gotten a hip replacement and that he’s doing OK.
“to all the people who are worried and concerned. first off , let me say thank you. And lastly no need to worry, just had to get some BBL WORK AKA #hipreplacement,” he captioned the clip, using some shorthand for a Brazilian butt lift. “Thanks and love you all. but no need to worry and yes i’m fine.”
The 15-time NBA All-Star has worked on his body in recent months.
“I lost 40 pounds,” he told “Entertainment Tonight” in December. “I need to lose about 20 more, but impressive.”
He also talked about the importance of removing some unhealthy foods from his diet, while injecting some of his own trademark humor.
“I gotta eliminate bread and soda, so, if I could eliminate bread or soda, I think I could get the Marky Wahlberg look. I want to be known as the Black Mark Wahlberg,” he said.