At 7’1″, Shaquille O’Neal is one sky scrapper of a man. Towering over nearly everyone in the room, the spotlight is always on the Big Diesel. And it was no different for the four-time champion during his 19-year stint in the NBA. Throughout his decorated career, the LSU alum was most known for his ruthless dominance. Carrying a 315 lbs figure for the majority of his time on the hardwood, Shaq was shockingly agile and quick.

However, while he had all the tools to dominate, the 15-time All-Star also liked to enjoy himself. As a young center with the Orlando Magic, the Big Diesel once shocked bodybuilding legend, Arnold Schwarzenegger, with the ginormous amounts of food he consumed. As Shaq cemented himself into the Hall of Fame distinction after winning three championships, his work ethic slowly declined. His lack of effort was one of the main conspirators in his broken bond with fellow Los Angeles Lakers teammate and legend, Kobe Bryant.

Many to this day feel the story of Shaquille O’Neal would be something else if he had anywhere near the ‘Black Mamba’s work ethic. But in his recent HBO documentary, ‘Shaq‘, the Big Diesel revealed the upside of growing to almost 400 pounds. And it was all about the extra protection from the “fleas” in the NBA.

Shaquille O’Neal didn’t feel a thing

As one of the most powerful forces in all of basketball, Shaquille O’Neal faced an intense amount of abuse from defenses. Shaq played in an era in which zone defenses had become prevalent. With the big man hoarding the paint, any number of guys could cover the three-time Finals MVP. However, even then Shaq was able to assert his reign. Mauling defenses to nothing, there was arguably no tactic that could stop Shaq in his prime.

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But in order to endure the high-contact wrath of the opposition, Shaq had to gain some muscle. As his career went on, the Big Aristotle resorted to eating more and more. In his third championship, he weighed a staggering 395 pounds. While his progressive weight rise would cause problems in the future, in his prime, it was a form of protection.

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Shaquille O’Neal said in his HBO documentary, “The good thing about having the weight that I had, it was extra meat, extra cushion, for the brutality that I was getting ready to face. I got 395 lbs. When you little fleas would foul me, I wouldn’t even feel it. ‘Get off me! You little flea.'” 

At 395 pounds, the Los Angeles Lakers matched up against Allen Iverson’s Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals. Despite being his heaviest, there was no stopping ‘Superman’. Shaq was a one-man wrecking crew against the 76ers. Taking on a veteran Dikembe Mutumbo, Shaq won his third straight Finals MVP award. He put up video game-type numbers, averaging 33 points, 15.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game.

Iverson and the Sixers were no match for the Shaq-Kobe duo. Unfortunately, that would be the last happy memory for the pair. As years went by, Shaq’s weight continued to grow. Bryant wanted Shaq to come in with better conditioning. However, the two-time scoring champion wanted to enjoy his success. This led to a rift between the two with Shaq subsequently being traded to the Miami Heat in 2004.

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While Shaq would go on to win another title in Miami, he would arguably never return to his brute self again.