Height is a crucial requirement when it comes to professional basketball. To be an NBA player, an average height of six-and-a-half feet is generally pivotal. Shaquille O’Neal’s height has been the subject of many discussions and will probably keep coming up in the future. Hence, the topic of Shaq’s height came up again in an interview with Patrick Bet-David.
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Even though there are several other NBA players who are taller than him, Shaq is one of the most successful big men to ever play the game. The former NBA player stands tall at a whopping 7 feet 1 inch and wears a shoe of size 22. Therefore, it is pretty obvious that Shaq was taller than most adults at just the age of 10.
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Shaquille O’Neal on his childhood and physical growth
During the interview with PBD, the host recalled that The Big Aristotle was born weighing seven pounds 13 ounces. However, rumors have it that by age 10 he had reached six feet four inches and wore shoes of size 17. For context, 2022 NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry’s listed height is 6’2″. Therefore, Shaq was reportedly taller at 10 years old than Curry.
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Patrick asked Shaq to confirm if it was true, to which Shaq replied that he didn’t think he was that big. However, the Los Angeles Lakers legend later revealed that by the age of 14, he had touched seven feet.
“–I became a seven-footer at 14, sophomore year in high school,–still didn’t make team, had size 18 shoe,” said Shaq.
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Additionally, Shaq revealed that he was bullied a lot during his sophomore year and that drove him to be tougher. He talked about how listening to his father helped him achieve his goals. In fact, his father promised him that he could make the Big Diesel the most dominant big man ever, if he listened to his advice. The four-time NBA champion agreed. And the rest is registered in the history books.
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Shaq lastly said that because of what he achieved by listening to his parents, he encourages children to do the same.
Do you agree with Shaquille O’Neal’s advice? Let us know in the comments!