Shaquille O'Neal Says He Spends $1,000 on Pedicures for His 'Ugly, Stinky Feet': 'I Do Sparkles and Designs'

O'Neal said his routine pedicures date back to when he scored 40 points in a game after his mom painted a "torn off" toenail

• Shaquille O'Neal revealed that he spends $1,000 on pedicures to get "sparkles and designs" painted on his toes

• The NBA on TNT host told his podcast listeners he knows that his feet "stink" and he wants them to "look pretty"

• O'Neal said his mom first painted his toenails after he "tore" a toenail off before a game

Shaquille O'Neal made a surprising admission about one of his self-care routines.

During an episode of his podcast The Big Podcast with Shaq, the retired NBA star, 52, said he drops about $1,000 on pedicures and likes to get "sparkles and designs" on his toenails.

"I give about $1,000 because I know my feet stink, I know they’re ugly, and I like to paint them," O'Neal explained to listeners. "I paint that s--- because it’s ugly and I want it to look pretty," he added.

O'Neal explained that he first painted his toenails because of a suggestion from his mother, Lucille O'Neal.

"True story — one time I had a toenail that was torn off and I wasn't going to play in the game," he began, suggesting that his mom seemed surprised he'd let that keep him from competing.

Related: Shaquille O’Neal Admits He Got a Suit He Couldn't Afford for His 1992 NBA Draft (Exclusive)

"I was like, I tore my toenail off, so she did something and then she put like, some red polish on the thing, and I had 40 that game," O'Neal said, concluding, "So I was like, you know what, I'm just going to start painting my toenails."

The admission caught O'Neal's co-hosts off guard, and when asked if he paints them with "solid colors" or "designs," O'Neal said he prefers the latter.

"I do like, sparkles and designs and all this stuff, you know, just to make it look pretty because I have ugly, stinky feet," he shared.

In a video shared on SportsCenter's Instagram account, O'Neal can be seen showing off his royal blue toenails.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

O'Neal's pedicure revelation comes just after the 2024 NFL Draft, where top overall pick Caleb Williams showed off his manicured nails, with one painted silver to match his girlfriend Alina Thyregod's silver dress. He said, “I paint my nails, I wear unique things," on the red carpet.

Related: Shaquille O'Neal Says ‘It’s Up to the People to Support’ Caitlin Clark and WNBA in Salary Uproar (Exclusive)

“It’s me. You call it unique. I call it me,” Williams told Cam Newton for NFL Network, adding that he hopes to "showcase that" uniqueness "here today and in the future here soon."

In August, Williams spoke to PEOPLE about painting his nails, saying that he thought "the nails thing kind of took everybody by surprise" when the quarterback's style first went viral on social media.

“I've been doing it before college, but it took everybody by surprise, just because you don't always see male athletes who play football paint their nails," Williams added. "But I think it's just another way of expression."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.