We usually see NBA players put on more and more weight post-retirement, and while that happened with Shaquille O’Neal as well, he is now going the other way.
It is great to see Shaq look so fit now when he is 51 years old. There was a time in his career when O’Neal was almost the same weight as Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren combined.
He is slimming down a lot now, telling Entertainment Daily in August that he dropped 55 pounds to go down to 351. O’Neal’s goal is to get between 315 and 330 pounds, and that should happen fairly easily.
NBA Fans Reacted To O’Neal’s Transformation
While NBA fans were undoubtedly happy to see how he has changed, a lot of them had the same thing in mind when they reacted to the post.
One said O’Neal would have been the greatest big man if he had his current mindset during his career, “If Shaq had the current mindset in his prime bro would’ve been the greatest Center the NBA has ever seen.”
A fan said Kobe Bryant would be disappointed this only happened now, “Kobe from above: Why only now bro?”
Another said this was all Bryant wanted, “This was all Kobe wanted.”
One fan described why O’Neal is unique, “The only NBA star who decided to get in shape after he retired.”
A fan thinks O’Neal can play in the league now, “Someone give this man a 10-day contract.”
You wish he had this kind of dedication to stay in shape during his NBA career. He had an incredible run in the league, with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game. O’Neal won four championships, three Finals MVPs, and an MVP, but you were still left wondering how much more he could have achieved, had he taken care of his body.
His lack of commitment to staying in shape was also one of the reasons why he and Kobe Bryant clashed. It eventually led to the two completely falling apart, but they did patch up before Bryant’s untimely passing.
Prior to that, Kobe had said he’d have won 12 rings had O’Neal had his work ethic. He stated that Shaq would have been the greatest player ever.
Shaquille O’Neal Spoke On Why He Wasn’t In Shape During His Career
O’Neal has had to hear from all corners about how things could have been so much better had he stayed in shape. He was once asked about Bryant saying he wasn’t in shape coming into the season, and O’Neal explained it wasn’t valid criticism.
“I wouldn’t say valid, because, I always ask people this. You didn’t come into camp in shape. What year are you talking about? What big man did more than I did? Nobody. Which goes back to what I said, my willpower. I got beat up all year. I never came into camp in shape because one, I gotta rest and I gotta pay my family back. I missed school plays, they don’t wanna hear when the season is over that you gotta go work out. It don’t matter how you start, it matter how you finish. What’s crazy is that the times I did come in shape, I got swept.”
While those are fair points, the fact is that it was applicable to a lot of other players as well. They found time to work and stay in shape and I believe if he really wanted to, O’Neal could have as well.
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