Shaquille O’Neal was dispirited after pickup game him feel like feeble Superman: “I felt like in 'Superman II,' when he gave his powers up"
As one of the biggest players in NBA history, Shaquille O'Neal was able to dunk with ease. His size made it so that he could effortlessly clear the lane and elevate for an easy dunk. Standing at 7-foot-1 and weighing over 300 pounds, O'Neal's athleticism in his early years made him an exceptional interior force.
Of course, Father Time waits for no man, and as a result, as he grew older, O'Neal's athleticism and explosiveness began to fade. During his prime years with the LA Lakers, O'Neal began to develop more finesse than he had as a young star with the Orlando Magic. After leaving LA, O'Neal looked like a shell of his former self when it came to athleticism and explosiveness.
As a 50-year-old man, it's no surprise that Big Diesel struggles to move and elevate the way he used to. During a recent interview, he opened up about a pickup game where he experienced a feeling he hadn't experienced before. As he described, he felt like his favorite superhero, Superman ... but not in the way you may think. When asked if he can still dunk, O'Neal explained:
"Yes and no. I was in the gym the other day ... a month ago. And you see some guys with the same league of certain players, and I couldn't do nothing. I went to the locker like, 'Who am I?' I felt like in 'Superman II,' when he gave his powers up and he went to bar with Lois Lane and the dude was beating him up."
You can see the episode below, with O'Neal's comments about being able to dunk beginning around the 34 minute mark.
Shaquille O'Neal's athletic abilities at 50 years old
As Shaquille O'Neal said, he's going through a bit of a transformation himself. After coming to the realization that he had a CBOTBB (Charles Barkley Over The Belly Belt), O'Neal committed himself to weight loss. The goal was to not only lose weight so that he could take his shirt off while feeling confident, but also to get healthy and develop a body like The Rock.
As a result, he partnered with an all-natural company to create a supplement that would help him with his weight loss goals. As he said during a recent interview with Daymond John, he combined his knack for business with his love for fitness:
"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.'"
He recently proved his athletic abilities and coordination during a recent Inside the NBA episode where he rode a variety of bicycles. Much to the amusement of his co-hosts, O'Neal managed to wow everyone as he rode several bikes far too small for someone his size.
You can see his recent interview with Daymond John, where he spoke about his weight loss goals, below.