Shaquille O’Neal’s incredible body transformation left him with ‘first six-pack in 30 years’

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, who is the star of a new Netflix series, has previously spoken about how he slimmed down and got back into shape after gaining weight in retirement

Shaquille O’Neal previously spoke about his body transformation(Image: Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Shaquille O’Neal claimed that his body transformation led him to have a six-pack for the first time “in 20 to 30 years”.

NBA legend ‘Shaq’ is the star of the new Netflix docuseries ‘Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal’. The show details his and fellow basketball Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s efforts to restore Reebok’s basketball division to its former glory.

New ESPN analyst O’Neal is Reebok’s president of basketball and knows all about turning fortunes around. A decade after his retirement in 2011, the four-time NBA champion, who has a busy work schedule, became determined to get back into shape after weighing more than 322lbs (23 stone), according to the Daily Star.

‘Shaq’ explained that personal tragedy led him to begin eating more in 2020 following the passing of his sister Ayesha Harrison-Jex, and former Los Angeles Lakers team-mate Kobe Bryant. “My sister passed away before Kobe,” he told Men’s Journal.

“And then Kobe passed away and then I had 28 other people pass away. [2020] was a really bad year and I didn’t want to do anything. So, when you don’t want to do anything, but you need to stay out of trouble, there’s two things you can do: eat and Netflix.”

In 2021, O’Neal succeeded in breaking his unhealthy pattern, swapping out late-night sandwiches for a more well-rounded diet and regular gym sessions. His unexpected source of inspiration came from a random Instagram post. “I saw this 70-year-old guy on there, and he had muscles everywhere. So I just decided to switch it up,” O’Neal said.

Shaquille O’Neal shared his body transformation in 2021(Image: INSTAGRAM@shaq)

The Lakers legend quickly noticed positive changes and detailed the diet that had helped lead to his new physique at the time. “I’ve been doing this for six months and just eating fruit, protein shakes, salads, fish, chicken and asparagus or other vegetables,” O’Neal said. “Very small portions and eating that everyday has helped me lose 25-30 pounds.

“I started to see stuff that I haven’t seen in 20 to 30 years—like a six pack. And I haven’t had one of those since I was on the 2006 Miami Heat.”

While the timeline for his six-pack claim may not add up, it was a sign that O’Neal was in the best shape since retiring from basketball in 2011. “Now I’ve been more active, I sleep through the night,” he added. “I have more energy and I just want to work out all the time.”

Given that ‘Shaq’ continues to be in great shape and boasts an enviable physique, his workout routine may come as somewhat of a surprise. O’Neal explained that he does work out twice a day, but only for an hour in total.

“I do 20 minutes of cardio, I’ll do some chest, bis, tris, sit-ups, back and then I’m gone, he said. “30-45 minutes a day, plus cardio––so about an hour a day.

“I still got the bad hips and the achy joints, so I can’t be jumping and running around. Next thing I’ll try is jogging.”

The 53-year-old has seemingly stuck to his routine, even with his busy family life, business ventures and basketball analyst career. His Netflix show, ‘Power Moves with Shaquille O’Neal’, began streaming earlier this month.