Shaquille O'Neal recently revealed the reason behind his sudden dash to the restroom during an episode of Inside the NBA. The incident, which occurred last month, saw O'Neal abruptly leaving the set, much to the amusement of his co-hosts Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Ernie Johnson.

Initially, Smith joked that O'Neal was “drinking olive oil to clean his gut.” O'Neal confirmed this, stating, “That was my number one, drinking that water. Sorry about that, America.” He elaborated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, explaining that he was trying a social media trend. “I’m drinking olive oil because I want to be sexy,” O'Neal told Fallon. He explained that he saw on Instagram that drinking olive oil for 14 days purportedly clears things out and results in a flat stomach. While Healthline notes that olive oil contains monounsaturated fatty acids and medium-chain triglycerides, which may offer benefits in weight loss diets, there's no direct link between drinking olive oil and weight loss itself. A plant-based diet, such as the Mediterranean diet that incorporates olive oil, may provide long-term benefits.

O'Neal later humorously corrected his initial statement on Fallon's show. “Okay, I just made a mistake. I lied to you on national television,” O'Neal confessed. “It wasn’t a No. 1 run, it was a No. 2 run. I had to go bad! Oh, I had to go so bad!”

In addition to the olive oil reveal, O'Neal also promoted his upcoming Netflix docuseries, Power Moves, which will be released on June 4, 2025. The series follows O'Neal and Allen Iverson as they aim to revive Reebok's presence in the competitive basketball shoe industry. “I’ve always said Reebok was never number one but never number three,” O'Neal remarked, recalling his early days with the brand alongside Iverson and Shawn Kemp. He noted that after Adidas acquired Reebok, the brand's prominence diminished. O'Neal's partner, Jamie Salter, later purchased Reebok, presenting O'Neal with the challenge of restoring the brand to its former glory. He acknowledged the increased competition in the market, adding, “Back then we didn’t have as much competition as we have now, so there’s a lot of competition and it’s just fun, I had to learn a lot.”

O'Neal now serves as President of Reebok Basketball, with Iverson as Vice President. Power Moves will be available on Netflix for fans to watch.