How Much did Shaq Weigh When He Was Born? Exploring Shaquille O’Neal’s Weight During His Early Years

Even by the NBA’s insane standards, Shaquille O’Neal was, and is, a very, very tall man. After all, being over 6 feet alone is a bit uncommon. So, to see a man who measures up at a whopping 7’1” almost seems surreal. And yet, the Shaq-Diesel exists. And because of all that size, (and the hard work he put in), he is known as one of the greatest players of all time.

As you’d expect, the man had some weight on him to go along with his size. During his time in the NBA, the man weighed in at around 325 lbs. So yes, the phrase ‘big man’ doesn’t come close to describing him.

But, what was the weight of such a big man during his younger days? More specifically, what did the man weigh when he was a newborn baby?

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Shaquille O’Neal weighed quite a bit even when he was a newborn baby

Many NBA players have stories of having a bang-average physique for most of their life before they were suddenly blessed by god almighty. Anthony Davis comes to mind, being just a bit over 6 feet, before suddenly growing a whole foot in the final years of high school.

Ja Morant may be the bounciest guard in the league now. But, before his time in college, the man was about average, despite doing all the exercises to increase his vertical.

These athletes turned into freaks of nature late into their life. Shaquille O’Neal was not that.

Even as a baby, the Shaq weighed in at around 7 pounds and 13 ounces. To put that into context, the average baby weighs in at around 5 pounds.

Reebok (1995)
ft. Shaquille O’Neal pic.twitter.com/AOlQdB2aYr

— 90s NBA (@NBA90s) February 14, 2023

That is a massive difference. But did that continue as O’Neal grow up? Or did he get back to average size at some point before he turned massive again?

 

What was Shaquille O’Neal’s size growing up?

If there was a time Shaquille O’Neal was the size of the average child, it didn’t last very long.

By just the age of 13. Shaquille O’Neal had grown to 6’6”, and weighed in at around 200lbs. Heck, at just 10 years old, Shaq stood at 5’3” and weighed in at 139lbs.

However, his biggest growth spurt unquestionably came between the ages of 12 and 16. After all, the man went from being 5’10”, all the way to 6’7”. During this time, his weight went from 192 lbs all the way to 265 lbs. And of course, this was all before he hit 7’1″, 302 lbs at 21.

So, no. Even in his younger years, Shaquille O’Neal was never average-sized.

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