Toe jam

Surgery may cause Shaq to miss start of season

Shaquille O' Neal has led the Lakers to three straight NBA championships. Jeff Gross/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal will have surgery on his right foot on Sept. 11, and could miss the start of the season.

The surgery, pending medical clearance of bloodwork, will be performed at UCLA by Dr. Robert Mohr, chief of the Division of Podiatric Surgery, according to Patricia Schneck, a spokeswoman for O'Neal's agent, Perry Rogers.

Rogers has said O'Neal's recovery could take six weeks. The Lakers begin defense of their third straight NBA title on Oct. 29.

O'Neal will have a cheilectomy, which involves removing bone spurs in the joint that have caused pain and restricted his motion.

He played last season using a combination of medication, orthotics and other treatments to ease the pain, but no method was effective.

 

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