Shaquille O’Neal is no small man. The 7-1, 300+ pound big man might be one of the most intimidating physical specimens in league history.
Of course, back when he was playing, there were questions about his health and fitness level as many can recall a time when people called him out of shape, even at the highest of his powers.
Kevin Garnett, who responded to the idea of an “out of shape” Shaq, called it blasphemy.
Bill Simmons: “There was a couple of years when Shaq was out of shape.”
Garnett: “When you’re out of shape, bro, you’re not scoring 25 a night, get yo a** outta here.”
https://twitter.com/FadeawayWorld/status/1348797808535601152
Simmons claims that Shaq only “went hard” from beginning to end for one single season, obviously alluding to the idea that O’Neal may not have fully lived up to his potential.
KG, being the big man appreciator like he is, came to Shaq’s defense, citing power and strength as being the Laker legend’s core values on the basketball court.
Looking back, it might be fair to say that O’Neal was out of shape for at least a few seasons. But when you’re getting buckets and dominating like he did, there’s really no way to know for sure.
