For everyone struggling with getting rid of a few extra pounds, our man Shaq has some entertainment and inspiring words this week. After all, as we write this, it’s just past Halloween, and some of us (not mentioning any names here at the offices of the ShaqFu Radio blog) might have overindulged in that holiday candy…
We’ve talked a lot about O’Neil’s size, and his journey to getting rid of excess pounds, and to get in overall better shape. You can check past posts right here on the blog for stories and especially pics of the transformation. Hope it’s been as inspirational to you as it’s been to us.
No doubt one of the reasons Shaq was one of the most dominant NBA players to ever live and play the game. There’s also very little doubt that one of the reasons for his overpowering style of play was his physical size. At 7”1’, he’s definitely standing out, even on teams with lots of other oversized players. But it’s not just about the height. He was – back in playing days – a very (VERY) strong man. Just check the old videos on the damage he did to basketball rims around the league in his playing days.
Sure…he was big. And strong. We all see that. Guys he played against felt that. Yet now, in a new interview with Tom Brady on SiriusXM Sports, we got some big (literally huge!) information on Shaq’s size during his most-dominant playing days.
In the Brady interview, O’Neal talked candidly about how much he weighed during his prime while on the Lakers. In the early days, Shaq said he came out of LSU and joined the Orlando Magic at a sculpted and strong 285 pounds. That was in his rookie season. He said he worked on adding muscle – and a few pounds – to better deal with how much other teams were fouling him.
A good plan, for sure. But Shaq says over the next few years, he let himself go a bit when he was with the Lakers. Talking to Brady, Shaq said: “In our first championship I was 345 [pounds] and then had a great summer, came back 385 for the second one.”
And then the big (we mean BIG) reveal: “Last championship I was 415.” Wait, what? Over 400 pounds, and playing in the NBA with some guys that were certainly half that weight?
Just in case you checked the history books, O’Neal was listed by the Lakers at 325 pounds during Los Angeles’s three-peat from 2000 to 2002. If what Shaq is saying now is true – and there’s no reason to doubt him – he would be the heaviest playing in NBA history (at 415 pounds).
Probably a record he would not brag about. Still, all those extra pounds never seemed to slow him down, or hinder his performance on the court.
At whatever weight, O’Neal racked up the wins and the awards. He was named Finals MVP for all three championship runs with the Lakers. He’d go on to win another ring with the Miami Heat as well.
So, for everyone struggling with weight. NBA superstar or regular man or woman.. It’s worth the work to get back to good health. Keep up the great work and play!