Shaquille O’Neal has revealed that part of his intense training regimen during NBA offseasons involved wrestling and grappling to boost his conditioning for basketball. In a recent interview on the “Pound for Pound” podcast, the legendary center opened up about how incorporating martial arts-style training took his preparation to another level.
“I used to go [into the offseason] and do wrestling, that’s when I get tired,” O’Neal explained. “That’s when people say, ‘He’s out of shape right now.’ I didn’t train wrestling.”
The 7’1″, 325-pound behemoth acknowledged that while he could simply run and train basketball drills all day without getting winded, it was the grappling work that really pushed his cardiovascular abilities.
“When I started doing wrestling, that’s when I get tired,” Shaq said. “And then I said, you know what? I’m not gonna do no basketball [stuff]. All summer just doing that [grappling] .”
O’Neal credits adopting this unorthodox cross-training approach as a big reason why he was able to stay in peak physical condition throughout his 19-year NBA career, one that included four championships, three Finals MVPs and 15 All-Star selections.
“And then I came in and easily went through the championship,” he said of the payoff from his offseason grappling camps.
The “Diesel” truck wasn’t alone among NBA giants in utilizing wrestling training. Former rival and fellow legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon also relied heavily on incorporating hand-fighting, grappling and other martial arts into his workouts.
For O’Neal, the grappling grind wasn’t just about getting into ridiculous shape. It was about building the mental toughness to remain dominant and secure his place among the greatest NBA centers of all time.
“You guys are probably the greatest athletes ever because you have to, like us, run, jump…get hit, knock people out,” Shaq praised of combat sports athletes. “You guys are the greatest athletes.”
