Shaquille O’Neal Lists Reasons For Never Working Out During Summers While Speaking On Luka Doncic’s Conditioning

Several sources have stated over the past few days that the Mavericks desperately wanted out of the Luka Doncic business due to his poor conditioning. Paying him a super-max worth $345 million did not seem to interest Nic Harrison and his FO given his fitness levels. While Shaquille O’Neal was never outright traded due to being out of shape, he endured his fair share of criticism over that very same reason. On TNT’s Pregame Show, Shaq listed out his reasons for not staying in shape.

Somewhere during the arduous 82-game long NBA season, all players end up getting fit. However, it’s the off-season that truly tests an athlete’s determination. The ones who dedicate their summer to preparing for the upcoming season always stand out.

But it isn’t always that easy and Shaq understands it better than most people. Shaq said that he didn’t work out during the summer because he had more important things to do. He said, “I didn’t work out during summers because I had other obligations, family, children, and I wanted to work my way into shape. That was my method.”

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Even the most passionate basketball purists can’t deny that Shaq had a valid reason to not work out during the summers. In addition to that, he was revered as the most dominant basketball player in the league and became a four-time NBA Champion without putting in the extra work. Shaq truly defied all logic when it came to being fit up to an athlete’s standard.

Shaq once gave a detailed report on how much he weighed during his championship wins. He said, “First championship, 345. Second championship, 365, last championship [Lakers], 395.”

Even in retirement, Shaq has stated he never wants to slim down, claiming he wants to ‘get Diesel’, which is an ode to his decades long nickname. Having a great deal of size has always interested the Lakers great. This approach worked very well with Shaq, and it has done the same thing for Luka as well.

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The Slovenian has made five straight All-NBA First Team, and All-Star, is the reigning scoring champion, and took his team to the NBA Finals last season, all while being 6’6 and close to 270 pounds.

Shaquille O’Neal cheated the Miami Heat’s body fat test

After years of dominance in the league, Shaq got so used to his process that when he was first pressured to get in shape in Miami, he resorted to cheating his way out of it. During an appearance on The Big Podcast, Alonzo Mourning revealed Shaq’s way of cheating the system.

He said, “He used to put baby oil all over his body so the strength coach couldn’t pinch his fat. That was his strategy. Can’t pinch enough.” The Heat had a strict 13% body fat rule and the big fella knew that he wasn’t going to make the cut the right way.

If anyone could’ve embarrassed Shaq with that story, it was Zo because he was one of the fittest players not only in the team but also in the league. “You had six percent (body fat). He looked like a He-Man though, he used to come out of the shower, and we be like, ‘Hey man, put your shirt on showoff,” Shaq responded.

Despite all the noise surrounding Luka’s fitness, if the Slovenian manages to make another trip to the Finals in the next few years, his critics might not be able to say anything on the topic.