NBA legendary center Shaquille O’Neal tipped his hat in thanks to Kansas City Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, as the latter named him a better player over one of the Lakers’ current stars.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, Patrick Mahomes, quarterback of the Kansas City Chiefs, shocked basketball fans by picking Shaquille O’Neal over several familiar star players with the Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic included.
In the clip, Mahomes was given head-to-head decisions among some of the best people to play in the NBA, and he continuously picked the Hall of Famer. Mahomes picked Shaq over Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dirk Nowitzki, and, significantly, Doncic, and even picked Kevin Durant as his first choice when O’Neal was matched against him.
Shaq quickly built on the moment by posting a screenshot of Mahomes’ selections to his Instagram Story where he highlighted the support and promoted the unanticipated endorsement from one of the league’s biggest legends across sports.
Shaquille O’Neal Addresses Why He Doesn’t Bother With His Weight
Shaquille O’Neal told Dax Shepard on the “Armchair Expert” podcast that he intentionally began some NBA seasons out of peak condition, preferring to “come in with the lights dim” and ramp up his fitness later rather than peak too early in training camp.
The Lakers legend compared his approach to modern players who start slow and build into the year, saying he liked to assess the situation before “turning the lights on” and describing himself in three states of Shaq.
“I want to come in with the lights dim and see what’s going on and then turn them on at the right moment,” Shaq said. “Cuz a lot of times when you come in shape, you get worn out. I would rather work up to it and then, like so, I just came in how I came in, whatever, and then like I always say, I want a skinny Shaq, medium Shaq, and fat Shaq.”
The Hall of Famer’s long battle with weight was well documented, with reports of his playing weight ranging from roughly 320 to more than 400 pounds and his claim of hitting 415 pounds during the Lakers’ 2002 title run; teammate Alonzo Mourning recalled Shaq using baby oil to hide excess fat from physical tests while with the Miami Heat.
Since retiring, Shaquille O’Neal said he has shifted his mindset on health, adopting smaller meals, a low-carb approach, and weight training, losing about 55 pounds by September. He also acknowledged the practical limits of his earlier habits despite an all-time great career.
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Dan has been active in sports since 2016 and has worked behind the scenes as a scriptwriter for basketball, volleyball, and other sports. At a time, Dan has also been working as a sports commentator for CBA Pilipinas. During the pandemic, he has also been actively writing betting articles for CashBet and BetNow.
