Shaquille O’Neal’s unparalleled dominance on the court had one side effect. The center never felt the need to eat healthy and work hard to stay in shape. While he was lean and muscular during his time with the Magic, his weight ballooned with each passing year after he moved to LA in 1996. By 2001, he weighed over 400 pounds, which was far from ideal. However, he didn’t bother losing it because it never affected his performance.
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In fact, he began justifying to himself that staying in shape was a waste of time because he treated specimens like Alonzo Mourning like ragdolls. In his memoir Shaq Uncut, the Hall of Famer claimed that a player’s size was irrelevant as long as they had the attitude and desire to dominate on the court. He drove home his point by pointing at his stellar performances against the Heat icon. He wrote,
“Look at Alonzo Mourning. He is a machine. Really. I wouldn’t be surprised if we found out he was a robot. The guy was always in amazing shape. He always looked ten times better than me, but I used to kill him on the court, which tells you that body fat don’t mean shit. It’s all about what’s in your heart and in your mind. Are you tough enough? Do you want it enough? You don’t need to be at 10 percent body fat for that.”
Mourning took great care of his physique and was built like a Greek God. On the flip side, O’Neal was bulky and looked like he needed to shed some weight. However, when the two faced off on the court, it was nearly always a lopsided battle in the Lakers icon’s favor.
The four-time NBA champion won 13 of his 16 games against Mourning and averaged 30.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. The Heat icon managed a respectable 22.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and two blocks per game against O’Neal. However, even he’d admit that he could do little to contain the Lakers legend, even when he was at his unhealthiest.
While the differences in their eating habits didn’t matter during their playing days, they have caught up to them in their 50s. Mourning is as fit as he’s ever been, while O’Neal has been struggling to lose weight and stay healthy. Shaq tried to take diet tips from his former teammate but quickly learned he’d have plenty of difficulty following them.
Shaq cannot give up cheese
On the latest episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal asked Mourning about his diet to gauge if he could follow it. The Heat icon revealed he steered clear of dairy products and ate plant-based food, which prevented inflammation.
The four-time NBA champion claimed he could adhere to that, as he wasn’t a fan of milk-based products. However, he soon realized that he’d have to give up cheese, which he couldn’t fathom doing. He asked Mourning,
“Hold on, I can’t put no cheese on my turkey sandwich? Come on, Zo.”
While it’s commendable that O’Neal even considered changing his diet, he’ll likely never act on it.
