"I've got a 5.2 pack" - Shaquille O'Neal once revealed riveting reason behind teaching himself to fall as kid
NBA icon Shaquille O'Neal has offered a lot of funny moments on "Inside the NBA on TNT," like in December 2022, when co-analyst Kenny Smith shoved O'Neal while running, with the Diesel falling to the Christmas tree. It's become one of the show's most hilarious moments.
"I feel wonderful," O'Neal said, via Esquire Sports. "I’m in shape. I’ve got a 5.2 pack. My six-pack is almost there. When I was young, I always wanted to be a stuntman, so I would teach myself how to fall. When you're pushed off balance, you’ve got to turn and try to find the middle of your back, right?
"If you try to go forward, your instinct should put your hands out. Plus, I'm not going to fall face-forward into a Christmas tree. So, I turned my back like I taught myself to do, and you just brace for impact. But it looked good, right?"
What O'Neal talked about was one of his childhood dreams of becoming a stuntman and how he worked to fulfill it.
O'Neal had another hilarious moment during an episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in 2001.
"I told him, 'Larry, put your foot there, and I’ll do the rest. I always wanted to be a stuntman when I was little, so I know how to fall," O'Neal said.
Shaquille O'Neal reveals issue that changed his life during childhood
Shaquille O'Neal had to deal with a lot of struggles early in his life since his father was a drug addict and went to jail when O'Neal was still a little kid. His stepfather was in the army, and the Diesel followed him to different military bases.
O'Neal was tall and strong as a youngster and was good at playing basketball. But instead of focusing on that, he became a bully, and that brought him close to jail once.
"Every time I went to a place, I made my name quickly," O'Neal told People. " I'd find out who 'the guy' was, study him and I'd beat him up. Take his spot. Everybody knew who I was. I almost killed a kid (in a fight). They showed me the jail.
"After that, I shifted everything into becoming the class clown. Just to make people like me. It was (another) mechanism for (dealing with my insecurity). I wasn't a leader yet. I was a follower on the wrong path."
Fortunately for him, this moment altered his life. O'Neal went on to play for Louisiana State University and moved to the NBA in 1992 as the No. 1 pick.
The Diesel spent 19 years in the league and won four NBA championships (2000-2002, 2006) and the Finals MVP award three times (2000-2002).