7ft Giant Shaquille O’Neal Made Michael Phelps Feel Inferior About His Height Once: “Stood Next to Someone Nearly a Foot Taller”

Swimming legend Michael Phelps is counted in the league of the tallest athletes. His wide wingspan and tall legs are key to his success throughout the years. However, from time to time, his height has been compared with many, including Simone Biles and Shawn Johnson East, and the height difference between them was easily visible.

Meanwhile, one athlete could give Michael a big competition with his height. In addition, Phelps himself once described his feelings after standing beside him. He’s non-other than the professional basketball player Shaquille O’Neal.

Michael Phelps was stunned seeing Shaquille O’Neal’s height

Phelps met Shaq during an ESPY award and was flabbergasted by his height. In his book ‘Beneath the Surface,’
he described how short he felt for the first time in his life. Michael said, “One year, I met Shaquille O’Neal at the ESPYS and have never felt so short in my life. It’s been a long time since I stood next to someone nearly a foot taller.”

Shaq’s height is seven-foot-one, while Michael’s height is six-foot-four-inches. Both of them were incredible players in their respective fields. As a basketballer, Shaq’s height made the opponent nervous singlehandedly. Phelps and the legendary basketball player have different workouts and diet plans for their maintaining their physiques.

READ MORE: Shaquille O’Neal’s Height Next to Simone Biles, Michael Jordan and Tom Brady Shows Just How Huge the NBA Legend Is

Meanwhile, there was a time when Michael was seen having a 12k calories diet. As per CNBC’s report, Phelps spent around $11.30 per meal in 2018, while his lunch cost him $6.39. Apart from this, calculating all the money spent on drinks, his total was $38.57, which is $1157.10 for a month.

At the same time, Shaq revealed that he spent $12,775 on his food monthly. Of course, their different body types need different types of nutrition.

Legends’ height compared with other athletes

Comparing Simone Biles‘ height with Shaq’s could have created waggish history. Although a picture of Simone standing beside Shaq got viral on Twitter, fans started pouring their sense of humor into the comment section. While O’Neal’s height is seven-foot-one, Simone’s height is four-foot-eight-inches.

Meanwhile, his height compared with another professional basketball player Michael Jordan is staggering. But, just like Phelps, Jordan’s height also stands at six-foot-four-inches.

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