Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal had recently become a hot topic after a post-workout video of him went viral online. The video was well received as fans praised him for his determination to stay healthy. When asked about his physical transformation, he said he didn’t want to be like post-retirement Charles Barkley. Additionally, he said that his next goal was to become an s*x symbol. With Shaq’s determination, he might even achieve his target successfully. But did you know that about two years ago, Shaq weighed more than 350 lb? So much so that his weight surpassed that of WWE star Mark Henry.
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For the majority of his wrestling career, the WWE Hall of Famer weighed 412 lb. In April 2021, Henry reportedly lost about 80 lb in order to get into ‘ring shape’. The World’s Strongest Man retired in 2017 after having a stellar career. However, four years later, he announced that he would be going inside the ring one last time as he did not get the match where one went and paid tribute to their fans.
While Henry shed the extra pounds to wrestle for his fans, Shaq did so because of his health concerns. Shaq has given several different reasons for losing weight, but one major reason was his health. In the latest episode of Shaq’s podcast, the NBA legend took a trip down memory lane.
Shaquille O’Neal shocks his podcast co-hosts
The latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq released on October 22, 2022. As the trio, Shaquille O’Neal, Nischelle Turner, and Spice Adams, argued about whether Shaquille O’Neal dyed his beard or not, the Lakers star abruptly informed that his new name is 369. When Nischelle asked him if that was how much he weighs, Shaq said that when they first started the podcast, he weighed 401 lb. Subsequently, Shaq noted that back then Nischelle introduced him to a guy by telling him that Shaq wanted to become healthy by losing weight.
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“He did my blood work and he’s like ‘Hey man, you ain’t living right. If you keep this up, you’re not gonna be around long.’ That’s what got me right there. So I said, ‘okay what I got to do,'” said the Los Angeles Lakers legend.
O’Neal further added that even though it was hard initially, he got into the habit of eating healthy meals and working out daily. While he is 369 as of now, he aims to be 345 lb by March 2023.
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Shaq then jokingly accused Nischelle of calling him fat, which Nischelle denied ever saying that. The Big Aristotle then jogged her memory and reminded her that when they first started the podcast, she said he was too chubby for the camera. It was then that Nischelle introduced O’Neal to ‘the guy’ who warned him about his unhealthy lifestyle. Looks like Nischelle saved Shaq’s life after all! Would you agree?