"Uncle Shaq can't let the kids down" - Shaquille O'Neal once gave soul-stirring account of why he chose to play through pain

Shaquille O'Neal used to play through the pain barrier. In a world where the NBA recently implemented new rules regarding load management, the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar is a throwback to a different era. An era where physicality was embraced.

When speaking to Jack Holmes of Esquire in 2022, O'Neal discussed what drove him to play when injured. The Hall of Famer credits his father's guidance and his desire to give the fans something to remember as driving forces:

"My father's motto is: if you can walk and run, you can play. I took joy in walking into a game and seeing you and your father—and your father bought you a Shaq jersey, and you sitting there watching the game," O'Neal said.

"That made me feel good. That made me feel like I was somebody. And you know what? Uncle Shaq can't let the kids down.

"Forget your dad, but I can't let you down, kid. All right, watch this kid, I’mma get a dunk and I’mma look at you just to help you feel good, so you can go back to school and say, 'Hey man, I took a picture with Shaq. He dapped me up.' It's just like a whole ecosystem of how I thought.

Even in retirement, O'Neal is gracious with his time and is often spotted chatting with fans and posing for pictures. Shaq is also vocal on the topic of load management and why he is against players choosing to sit out games for rest purposes.

"I love the fans, I love the people. So if I could walk or run I would play."

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Shaquille O'Neal took too many painkillers during his playing days

During the same interview, Shaquille O'Neal admitted that his heavy workload led to him taking copious amounts of painkillers, which in turn left some lasting damage to his kidneys:

"Had a lot of painkillers. I got limited kidney stuff now, going on. I don't have the full range, but I took so many painkillers that [doctors are] saying, 'Hey, man, we don't need you taking that stuff now. You got to be careful.'

"That's why I don't take any supplements, anything right now. Only thing I take is my little GF-9 stuff. But my kidneys are kind of just chilling out right now. I don't want to flare ‘em back up."

O'Neal is in great shape for his age, and regularly updates his fans with pictures of him in the gym or showing off his body. Part of being in good shape is watching your diet and limiting over-exertion.

As such, Shaquille O'Neal is most likely refraining from putting too much pressure on his kidneys, as he tried to mitigate the damage from his playing days.