Shaquille O'Neal throws shade at Charles Barkley over being fat: "I had a syndrome called CBOTBB, that's Charles Barkley Over The Belly Belt"
Standing at over 7-feet tall, Shaquille O'Neal is without question one of the most dominant big men in NBA history. As a rookie in Orlando, O'Neal combined his incredible physique with rarely-seen athleticism to make him one of the league's most unique young players. Most players his weight, traditionally, have been stiff, moving slowly on the court and lacking ball-handling skills.
O'Neal, however, completely defied the odds early on in his career thanks to his stellar athleticism that gave him quickness, strength and grace. During his rookie year, he quickly blew away NBA executives when he proved that he could run the break. Given his size, it's no surprise that when opposing teams saw the 7-1, 324-pound Diesel running down the court, they would run for cover.
Despite that, as he got older, O'Neal began to slow down. His athleticism and ball-handling abilities quickly became no match for quicker defenders. This forced him to adapt his game and rely more on his strength in the twilight years of his career. As he got older, O'Neal said he realized he needed to get in Mark Whalberg-like shape.
"I had a syndrome called CBOTBB, that's Charles Barkley Over The Belly Belt," O'Neal said. "So, I said, 'OK, remember that word 'partnership' we talked about earlier? Yeah, I'm gonna partner up with a pharmaceutical company that really cares, doing natural stuff and some stuff that work.'"
You can see his interview with FUBU creator and business mogul Daymond John below, with his comments about the CBOTBB beginning around 6:10.
Shaquille O'Neal's nutrition business partnership
As O'Neal said, he wound up partnering with a company to create a natural supplement that would help him lose weight. Although he explained that the product isn't a miracle and still requires dieting and exercise, the results seem to speak for themselves.
Recently, his mission has been to get into the best shape of his life so that he can take his shirt off and look absolutely shredded, he said. Given how outgoing the Hall of Famer is, NBA fans may be surprised to learn that Shaquille O'Neal said he didn't feel confident in the way he looked.
"I was looking really bad. I'm a type that I have to see things, like, to motivate. ... But I'm getting in in really good shape. I'm gonna try to take it to where when I take my shirt off you see nothing but the He-Man. I wanna get like The Rock and Mark Wahlberg."
So far, there's been no response from Barkley, who will likely continue to find himself on the receiving end of insults from Shaq as he continues to get in shape.
The pair, who never shy away from going at one another on the set of Inside the NBA, will be back in action on Tuesday.
Below you can see some of their best moments from throughout the years.