By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2026-06-11 00:24:21 | Updated at 2026-06-11 09:15:43
9 hours ago
Basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal has revealed he is taking controversial weight-loss jab Zepbound in a bid to treat his severe sleep apnea.
The 7-foot-1 NBA icon spoke out about his personal life in a rare interview with GQ this week, between covering Finals Games 3 and 4 for ESPN at Madison Square Garden.
The fan favorite, now 54, is perhaps busier than ever with TV work, advertising campaigns, DJ'ing, and his upcoming professional dunking league - but he revealed he has been struggling behind the scenes with a little-known health problem.
O'Neal has OSA - obstructive sleep apnea - diagnosed in 2011, shortly after he retired from the NBA. The condition can be extremely disruptive for a man with a schedule as busy as his, and he has now turned to a weight-loss drug to help.
The GLP-1 drug Zepbound addresses both obesity and OSA, as well as being used as a treatment tool for Type 2 Diabetes.
'I chose to share my experience because OSA is a serious but often overlooked condition,' O'Neal told GQ.
Shaquille O'Neal walks on the court at Madison Square Garden ahead of the Finals Game 4
O'Neal sits on the ESPN panel alongside Draymond Green and filmmaker Spike Lee (right)
'I want to help people if I can, because I can remember, especially when I stopped playing, the snoring, the daytime tiredness, a lot of fatigue, and being unable to focus. So this is very personal to me.'
Alongside the weight-loss jab, Shaq claims he exercises regularly and is 'eating right' - barring a love for his own 'Shaq-a-Licious gummies'.
'They’re the number one gummy in the world. I’ve sold over 20 million bags,' he claimed in the interview, before the reporter asked whether they included marijuana.
'Dude, no!' he responded. 'Before I do THC, I’ll be walkin’ around here in some braids looking crazy.'
O'Neal was back on TV on Wednesday night ahead of the Knicks' Game 4 NBA Finals showdown with the San Antonio Spurs.
Serena Williams is also a well-known user of GLP-1 weight loss drugs - specifically 'Ro'
O'Neal's ESPN colleague and friend Charles Barkley has also used weight loss jabs himself
He sat alongside Charles Barkley, his longtime colleague who is also a known user of GLP-1 drugs for weight loss.
Elsewhere, tennis legend Serena Williams has also spoken openly about her use of a similar drug in 'Ro', for which she is a brand ambassador and has a family investment in.
As she returns to tennis at the age of 44, she has revealed significant reductions in her joint pain after giving birth to her daughter Olympia in 2017.
