Shaquille O’Neal seems to have lost a fair bit of weight now, with the Hall of Famer looking very slim in a recent picture that has been doing the rounds on social media.
Shaq shows off his weight loss 😳 pic.twitter.com/AOUVLQKKDQ
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 8, 2023
I think O’Neal would get a bit of support if he ran for President of the U.S., but that’s not going to happen. It is great to see him in this kind of shape, though. You just wish he was this conscious about his weight when he was playing, as he could have achieved even more than what he did in his storied career.
NBA Fans React To O’Neal’s Slim Look
NBA fans were pleasantly surprised to see O’Neal looking so slim. They reacted to the viral picture with amazement.
One thinks O’Neal now looks a bit like he did when he played for the Orlando Magic.
Looking like Orlando Magic Shaq
— Optimus (@OptimusDime8) October 8, 2023
A fan says the 51-year-old should come out of retirement.
https://twitter.com/CR7_Vision/status/1710827381731086614
One thinks the Golden State Warriors could use O’Neal.
Warriors need a center
— Lu BBall 🕸️ (@luarlord2) October 8, 2023
O’Neal would have been the GOAT if he was in shape during his career, a fan said.
Would have been the goat if he was in shape playing no doubt about that
— ℂ𝕙𝕣𝕚𝕤 (@PlayoffJT) October 8, 2023
One fan thinks O’Neal might have lost around 50 pounds.
Bro lost a good 50 pounds 🤯
— Kyrie’s Hub (@kyrieshub) October 8, 2023
O’Neal told Entertainment Daily just over a month ago that he had dropped 55 pounds to get down to 351. His goal is to get between 315 and 330, and it is clear he is working extremely hard toward it.
Shaquille O’Neal Explained Why He Was Out Of Shape During His Career
O’Neal had a fabulous NBA career, winning four championships, three Finals MVPs, and an MVP, to go with countless other accolades. He also has impressive career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.6 steals, and 2.3 blocks per game.
It speaks to his greatness, though, that you are still left wondering what might have been, had he just stayed in shape. It was also one of the reasons why he and Kobe Bryant clashed, with the latter being unhappy that the big man wasn’t taking care of his body. O’Neal, however, explained why Bryant’s criticism wasn’t valid.
“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.”
That’s fair to an extent. When you’re an NBA player traveling all over the country for most of the year, you don’t get to spend a lot of time with your children. So, the offseason is the time to do just that, and considering the punishment O’Neal did take during the season, his body did need time to heal.
Still, you can’t help but think he could have done a better job of staying in shape. Kobe said if O’Neal had a good work ethic like him, they’d have won 12 rings. While 12 might be a bit much, they’d have won a lot.
It doesn’t seem to be something that bothers Shaq too much, though, but at least he is bringing the weight down now, which is great from a health standpoint.
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