“I Would Imagine That Shaq Was Up To Those Shenanigans”: Two Time NBA Champion Ridicules Shaquille O’Neal’s Baby Oil Claims

There has never been a dominant force like Shaquille O’Neal in the NBA. The Big Aristotle destroyed everything that came in his way to mark his name as one of the best athletes in the history of the league. He has an amazing resume to back it up too. But, did Shaq use loopholes to escape body fat tests? 

The NBA conducts body fat tests for its players to measure the amount of fat present in an athlete’s body along with muscles and other tissues. Now, the Big Diesel is one of the heaviest players to ever play the game. 

When the Hall of Famer was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, Shaq admitted to be weighing 355 pounds. However, he trimmed down his weight gradually before he won his fourth career ring with the Heat. 

The 2006 championship-winning Miami Heat team recently connected on a group call where all the players including coach Pat Riley was present. In their presence, big man Shaq revealed an insane trick he would use in order to fool the body fat test. 

At one moment during the cheerful call, Shaq called out Pat Riley and said: “Me, Posey and Antoine had found a way to beat through the body fat. We used to go into the steam room and put a bunch of baby oil on our bodies,” Shaq revealed.

Shaquille O’Neal claimed that applying a “bunch of baby oil” on their bodies helped them get through the body fat test. Is it really true? Does applying the oil fool the machine into decreasing your body fat percentage?

Kenny Smith debunks the claim of Shaquille O’Neal

Two-time NBA champion Kenny Smith joined YouTuber ‘Tobin’ on his channel last Tuesday. As Kenny connected via a phone call, the host updated him about the Heat’s team reunion. Tobin also brought up Shaq’s infamous baby oil story and asked Kenny if he knew Shaq was up to these kinds of “shenanigans.”

Here is Kenny’s reply: “I would imagine that Shaq was up to those shenanigans without question,” Kenny said. “I would imagine that they didn’t work,” he laughed. The former Rockets player took the time to assert that Shaq just couldn’t have escaped the test. 

“I don’t think its that simple that the body fat machine can’t pinch you because you put on baby oil. I don’t think its that simple a process.” The 55-year-old strongly stated his disbelief as the hosts uncontrollably laugh through his answer. “I don’t think that’s true,” Kenny concluded.

Well, true or not, the Heat welcomed Shaq into the team and they couldn’t afford to sit him out because he had some extra body fat. Even if he did carry extra fat, we couldn’t see it affect his game any bit. Shaquille O’Neal along with the ‘15 Strong’ Heat team won the 2006 NBA title in a grand fashion.