“When they hit you with that three‑letter word that starts with D and ends with E, it changes stuff up.” In March 2022, Shaquille O’Neal walked into his first full medical evaluation since retirement—and walked out facing a reality check few athletes want: his “carefree” feasting habits could land him in serious trouble. Gone are the days of two club sandwiches, fries, and a pineapple soda as a pregame ritual; now, even “The Big Aristotle” admits he’s rethinking every bite after watching Charles Barkley’s own weight‑loss experiment stumble.

Shaq once shrugged off Chuck’s jabs—until they shared the TNT stage. Once Shaq joined TNT in 2011, the duo quickly became must‑see TV. At times, they point the joke at each other, mostly about each other’s weight. In February 2025, Barkley announced a 50 lb drop thanks to Mounjaro, targeting 270 lbs next. But the weight loss journey was not straightforward.

Barkley, fresh off hip surgery, packed on 100 lbs and regained most of the weight after stopping treatment with Mounjaro. But he has now signed with GLP-1 celebrity ambassador for Ro, working with the direct-to-patient telehealth company to share his attempts to lose weight. As Barkley chronicled his GLP‑1 regimen, Shaquille O’Neal detailed his return to discipline in an interview with Ashley Nevel.

“I have a four-pack. Let me get it to a 12-pack, and once I get to a 12-pack, I’ll do it.” The 4x NBA champion flaunted his 4-pack abs in conversation with Nevel. The host revealed she worked with Canadian professional bodybuilder Chris Bumstead, and it will be interesting to see the Big Aristotle doing a collaborative social media pose with him. Not only that, she said that she was a fan of Shaq’s current eating habits.

“I love it. Well, you’re eight eggs a day with some sausage in the morning, it sounds like you’re on the right track. You know, it sounds like, to me, a keto diet, high protein, low carb.” The Lakers legend confined his choices. “I’m on it.”

Shaquille O’Neal’s former coach made sure to change the habits

So, after the initial issues, both legends seem to be on track to lose some weight. But the Lakers legend never really cared about his weight and was not a fan of the body fat program. In 2004, upon acquiring Shaquille O’Neal for the Miami Heat, Pat Riley’s very first act was to weigh the 7‑foot‑1 center, 383 lbs, with an estimated 14% body fat. Riley then imposed a strict body‑fat requirement: 10% for centers, 8% for forwards, and 6% for guards, though Shaq was given a 13% exception due to his size. To meet these targets, Shaq even opened 24‑hour gyms in Miami, ensuring constant access to training and accountability, but he never truly got on board with the program.

He gave Heat legend Alonzo Mourning as an example to prove his point. “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 s–t.” But Big Diesel eventually made an unexpected 360 on Riley’s approach. “I knew Shaq had one more in him. I knew he had it in him, and he was 383 at the time and about 14% body fat and or more. Shaq is a big man, I mean, he’s a 380-pound guy. So by the end of the year, he was 323 and 12%, that’s 60 lbs that he lost.” Riley said during one preseason presser.

Shaq shed 60 lbs to reach 323 lbs and 12% body fat by season’s end. Even Antoine Walker recalled Shaq’s ingenious baby‑oil workaround, slathering up so skin‑fold calipers couldn’t register excess fat—a testament to the lengths Shaq went to comply without sacrificing agility. And though Shaq grumbled, the transformation under Riley’s “Heat Culture” proved decisive, powering Miami to its first NBA title in 2006.

Fast‑forward nearly two decades, and Shaq has returned to that same principle: disciplined nutrition and training that first unveiled his abs in 2022, the first time in 15 years. Now at 324 lbs, Riley’s methods, almost ingrained as muscle memory, seemed to have kicked back in again. Of course, to the benefit of Shaq Fu.