Shaquille O'Neal's weight issues came with heavy penalty during his legendary Miami Heat stint: "You will be fined $1,000"
As dominant a prime Shaquille O'Neal was, his weight has been a double-edged sword. On the bright side, his size, along with great footwork, kept him unstoppable on the court. While on the other end, his weight issues left long-term concerns in his career.
After registering 12 seasons and three championships in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal forced a divorce with the Los Angeles Lakers and made his way to join a young Dwayne Wade and the Miami Heat in the 2004-05 NBA season.
As Shaq started his years in Miami, Pat Riley expressed his excitement about having the big man on the team. However, the club required its players to maintain a 10% body fat.
In the release of his new book, "Shaq Uncut," O'Neal revealed warnings about fines being put on him if he didn't reach 13% body fat.
“If you don’t make the body fat percentage, you will be fined $1,000. The next time you are fined again, and the third time you are suspended a game," Shaq writes.
The 'Big Diesel' spent his next three and a half seasons in Florida, but the age was slowly showing. In his first year with the Heat, he tallied 22.0 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.3 blocks while shooting 60% from the field. Four seasons later, his production quickly regressed to 14.2 points and 7.8 rebounds.
A lot has to be blamed on Shaq's weight, and trainers pushed the big man to get lighter, or his playing years are numbered.
Shaquille O'Neal bounced from one team to another
It was rough seeing Shaquille O'Neal, who once held the league in his hands, become a journeyman in his last playing years.
After his years in Miami, Shaq was traded to Steve Nash's Phoenix Suns but failed to get through the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Playoffs. The Suns looked slower with Shaq, which was not the system Coach Mike D'Antoni envisioned.
On this date in 2008, Shaquille O'Neal is traded from the Miami Heat to the Phoenix Suns. The Big Cactus is born! https://t.co/olqGzjluBK
The four-time NBA champion teamed up with LeBron James in Cleveland the following season. The team fell to the Boston Celtics 'Big 3' in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, and Shaq found himself joining them for his last year in the NBA.
Shaq wearing a Boston Celtics uniform is something that his Lakers' fanbase would like to forget, and he only lasted for two games before succumbing to a career-ending injury.