"I've thought about it, hiking up to that": Shaquille O'Neal shares his Kilimanjaro climbing dream, emphasizing the need for peak fitness
Shaquille O'Neal isn't one to have dreams without acting on them. The former NBA champion lives life to the full, often trying new experiences to tick things off his bucket list. Part of what has made O'Neal so successful in life is having the confidence to explore new experiences with an open mind; if he doesn't like them, he knows not to do them again.
During a recent interview with People magazine, O'Neal noted that one of his more recent experiences was Scuba Diving, which the big man did not like. O'Neal explained that he "didn't like that" due to the depths at which he traveled.
However, you don't know until you try, and that appears to be O'Neal's mantra. As such, O'Neal has a big goal on his bucket list: to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro — a mountain that is 5,895 meters tall.
"I've thought about it, hiking up to that," O'Neal said. "But I'll probably have to get into tip, tip, tip, tip, tip-top shape to do that."
Having been successful at everything he's tried, O'Neal would likely find the drive and passion to reach the mountain summit. However, at 51 years old, O'Neal is likely running out of time to climb the mountain without worrying about the age-related effects such extreme weather and altitudes could have on his body.
O'Neal also wants to try skydiving
During the same interview, Shaquille O'Neal revealed his desire to try skydiving. The 7-foot-1 big man noted how jumping out of a plane is likely his next daredevil adventure; however, he is concerned about the parachute being able to hold his weight on the way down.
"Skydiving would probably be next on the list. A lot of times, I just sit and think like, 'I want to do this, I want to do that.' So I think the next big thing that I would love to do is skydive."
O'Neal continued
"My only fear is, can the parachute hold me? I went to one little class one time and the lady was like, 'How much do you weigh?' I was like, and at this time I was heavy, I was like, '400 lbs.' She was like, 'I think it goes up to 350. But my mom, she sews. She can sew two together.'"
"It'll be just my luck that mom didn't feel like sewing that day. And then I'll be all the way up there and then the thing just rips in half. So I want to make sure that everything's in order before I go up there."
O'Neal approaches life with fearlessness and joy. If the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar wants to skydive, he will likely make it happen in the not-too-distant future before turning his attention toward the next goal on his list.
Yet, with such a big frame, O'Neal will certainly need to do his due diligence before taking the jump, or as he said, maybe wear two parachutes for safety.