Shaq Admits He Had A Problem With This Drug During His Playing Days

During a recent podcast appearance, legendary center Shaquille O'Neal admitted to abusing prescription painkillers.

There have been few NBA players who have made a bigger impact on the game than Shaquille O'Neal. He came into the game from Louisiana State University and was nearly immediately a phenomenon.

But O'Neal had to spend nearly two decades banging on the inside with the best of the NBA. And that took an undue toll on the miraculous center. To stay healthy, O'Neal says that he had to abuse prescription painkillers. The center said on Dax Shepard's Armchair Expert podcast:

 "But I didn’t feel high. I don’t think I was suffering mentally. I think if I had a knack, I would take it [because] I don’t want to feel that knack because we need this game. It’s not that I was hiding it. The trainers knew. I mean, I’m not telling my wife or my kids or my boys."

O'Neal certainly didn't suffer for accolades during his playing career. He was a dominant force, appearing in 15 All-Star Games and being named to 14 All-NBA teams. Despite that success, there are still rungs for O'Neal to climb to be considered one of the all-time greatest.

The bar for the all-time greatest centers starts with Bill Russell and moves to Wilt Chamberlain and then on to Moses Malone. It is fair to consider him ahead of Wilt Chamberlain and Moses Malone, but there is certainly an argument as to whether he is past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.