LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers star Shaquille O'Neal was recovering Monday from a flu-like virus that gave him a 103-degree fever and forced him to cancel an appearance at a Florida youth basketball camp, a team spokesman said.

	O'Neal

O'Neal spent Thursday night in an Orlando hospital and was released Friday, Lakers spokesman Michael Ulenkamp said. Tests showed the star was sidelined by "nothing more than a simple virus,'' Ulenkamp said.

He was resting at home in Florida and was expected to be back in Los Angeles later in the week.

"The virus will take its normal course and work its way out of his system,'' Ulenkamp said.

O'Neal missed a Sunday basketball clinic and charity basketball game bearing his name. People paid up to $250 each for tickets to the two-day clinic and a celebrity game Sunday night in Tampa, which was supposed to feature O'Neal and other NBA players.

The organizers of the event -- the Shaquille O'Neal Tampa Celebrity Basketball Weekend -- were unaware of his illness and said they were at a loss to explain O'Neal's absence.

"Everyone's disappointed: the kids, the parents, the community,'' said promoter Darryl Madison of Paramount Celebrity Management Co.

O'Neal had a contract with the event paying him more than $50,000, Madison said. Toronto's Vince Carter, Portland's Dale Davis and former NBA star Robert Parish were at the game.

O'Neal also missed a dinner with Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Friday that was part of the camp program.

The Lakers have been waiting for word from their 30-year-old center about possible surgery on his arthritic big toe. The Los Angeles Times reported last week that O'Neal would undergo that surgery within two weeks in Los Angeles.

Were that to happen, the paper said O'Neal would have missed the preseason and several regular season games.

The three-time defending champion Lakers open training camp Oct. 1 and begin the regular season Oct. 29 against San Antonio.

O'Neal was on the injured list twice last season because of pain from his toe, missing 15 games. He averaged 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds -- below his career averages -- and wasn't the same player he'd been previously on defense.

O'Neal stepped up his game during the post season, helping teammates beat Sacramento in the Western Conference finals and New Jersey in the NBA Finals.