How Michael Jordan Changed Shaquille O’Neal’s Pre-Game Diet Forever

Shaquille O’Neal has always been open about his love for fast food and his lack of concern for his dietary habits. While most athletes curated their meals to ensure what they ate didn’t affect them on the court, the center indulged in whatever his heart desired. He did have a set pre-game meal, but when he learned that Michael Jordan ate something more savory and still performed admirably, he quickly followed suit.

During an interview with Muscle & Fitness, Shaq revealed that he used to have a turkey club sandwich and fries as his pre-game meal. However, he changed it in 1999 for a scientific reason and switched to steak due to the Bulls icon. Shaquille O’Neal said,

“My pregame meal in my earlier days was a turkey club sandwich and fries. Then I was on the plane one night, and I discovered a new word: tryptophan. It’s in turkey, and basically, it gets you sleepy. Then I read that Michael Jordan had a steak before every game because it helped give him energy in the fourth quarter. So from 1999 to the end of my career, I always had a steak.”

While the difference in the amount of tryptophan in turkey and steak is minuscule, the latter has no carbohydrates, which is also linked to drowsiness.  The switch in his pre-game meal did wonders for O’Neal. He averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 rebounds, and a career-high 3.8 assists in the 1999-00 season and won the MVP for the first and only time in his career.

He led the Lakers to the first of their three consecutive championships and took home the Finals MVP award. The calorie-heavy pre-game meals did seemingly play a role in helping O’Neal reach the pinnacle of his career. However, his overall eating habits irked Bryant and caused friction between the two.

Kobe Bryant was frustrated with O’Neal’s unhealthy diet

Unlike O’Neal, who did not pay much attention to his diet or work hard to stay in shape, Kobe Bryant was obsessed with eating right, working out, and improving as a player. Per Stephen A. Smith, the difference in approach drove a wedge between the two. In an episode of First Take in 2019, the analyst said,

“Kobe would be out there, working, working his butt off a whole bit. Shaq was like, ‘I’m ready, ‘ll be ready to go’ and Kobe walk into the trainer’s room and Shaq has a big mac. Shaq is a big boy, he is 7’1”, 350 lbs, and loved some big mac. He was like an addict. That would drive Kobe crazy.”

In an interview with Patrick Bet David, Bryant also admitted that O’Neal’s unhealthy eating habits and disregard for his body shape frustrated him. He claimed he would’ve had 12 rings if the center had taken his health seriously.

O’Neal and Bryant parted ways in 2004 after the Lakers traded the center to the Heat. In the subsequent six years, either one of the two competed in the NBA Finals four times. Bryant’s claim that they’d won nine more rings together was an exaggeration, but they could have won a title or two more.