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Three-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal was still hiding a secret from his time on the court, which he recently revealed during a conversation with Tom Brady. O'Neal's real weight during his third championship with the Los Angeles Lakers was much higher than officially reported.
"In our first championship, I was 345 pounds, and then after a great summer, I came back at 385 for the second one. In the last championship, I was 415 pounds," the former player revealed during the "Let's Go!" podcast.
If "Shaq's" revelation is accurate, it would mean that he weighed 90 pounds more than the officially published weight of 325 by the Lakers and the NBA.
O'Neal made his NBA debut with the Orlando Magic, weighing 285 pounds, and by his last championship with the Miami Heat after leaving the Lakers, he had returned to his optimal weight.
When I got traded away, Pat Riley had me doing Army drills, and I got back to 325 pounds.
Shaquille O'Neal's reasons
O'Neal was always a dominant force under the board since his college days; however, upon his arrival on the professional hardcourt, he began to receive an onslaught of fouls from opponents who could not stop him in any other way.
That's why he decided to gain more muscle to endure the physical play of his rivals. However, he himself admitted that he went a little overboard.
The extra weight did not seem to slow down "Shaq" in any way; in fact, he was the Most Valuable Player of his three championship series with the Lakers, even ahead of another team legend, the late Kobe Bryant.
O'Neal's career
He won three NBA championships with the Lakers between 2000 and 2002 and another ring in 2006 with the Heat. He was the MVP of the 2000 season with the Lakers and was selected to the All-Star Game 15 times, three of those times (2000, 2004, 2009) he was the game's MVP.
Throughout his career, he averaged 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game. He played 1,207 games, 1,197 of them as a starter.