Shaq's Work Ethic?

[Baby Arm Johnso]

This is a question: Did Shaq have a poor work ethic? Could his dominance at the center position been prolonged if he worked harder and took better care of himself? It seems him being the most dominant player didn't last very long

[Akrazotile]

This is a question: Did Shaq have a poor work ethic? Could his dominance at the center position been prolonged if he worked harder and took better care of himself? It seems him being the most dominant player didn't last very long

Yes.


NEXT.

[SouBeachTalents]

This is a question: Did Shaq have a poor work ethic? Could his dominance at the center position been prolonged if he worked harder and took better care of himself? It seems him being the most dominant player didn't last very long

No, he was one of the hardest working guys in NBA history, putting Jordan & Kobe's work ethic to shame

[ClipperRevival]

Shaq's longevity gets completely overlooked. He was dominant for 10 straight years (1993 - 2002) and still elite a few years after that.

But obviously, had he stayed in tip top shape, he would've been better for possibly longer.

[senelcoolidge]

He had the potential to be as great as Wilt, but he didn't have the work ethic. Even as great as Kareem, but he's not.

[HoopologyPhD]

You could also make the argument that if he would have worked harder his career might have been shorter. Running at Shaq's weight puts an enormous amount of stress and pounding on all the components of the body.

[sundizz]

You could also make the argument that if he would have worked harder his career might have been shorter. Running at Shaq's weight puts an enormous amount of stress and pounding on all the components of the body.

Completely agreed. He didn't need to lift more weights, or run more etc. His biggest problem was that he couldn't get slim as he got older. If he went the Timmy route and did something non impact like swimming + eating healthier and slimmed down to Orlando Shaq size after he got older he could of easily played until 40 imo. He was just that much stronger, quicker, etc than most others centers. A super old, fat Shaq still dominated Dwight pretty easily I thought.

[ClipperRevival]

You could also make the argument that if he would have worked harder his career might have been shorter. Running at Shaq's weight puts an enormous amount of stress and pounding on all the components of the body.

Staying in shape isn't just about doing additional work it's also about watching what you eat. You could also argue that the extra 25 lbs or so he carried later in his career SHORTENDED his prime because every step he took was additional pounding on his legs. His best weight was probably about 310 lbs from 2000 on. But by 2002, he was around 340 lbs. Just carrying around way too much excess weight.

[FKAri]

His work ethic was above average. People act like he was clowning 24/7. But yeah it wasn't what one needs to be GOAT candidate.

[JellyBean]

Yes.


NEXT.

[Marchesk]

You could also make the argument that if he would have worked harder his career might have been shorter. Running at Shaq's weight puts an enormous amount of stress and pounding on all the components of the body.

How does a grizzly bear manage?

[SCdac]

By the time he retired dude was round as **** and he made an immediate jump into commentating. Didn't go out in the playing shape of say a late Karl Malone, David Robinson, Tim Duncan, etc. None the less, with such elite strength and scoring in the paint, any lack of work ethic held him back only so much. Still, he missed a bunch of RS games with injuries and it probably cost him an MVP or two. Some of it probably correlated to his health and game shape.

[outbreak]

His work ethic was above average. People act like he was clowning 24/7. But yeah it wasn't what one needs to be GOAT candidate.

What about his own stories telling of how every off season he'd turn up out of shape and he'd get in to fights with the coach because he would pretend to be using exercise equipment instead of actually using it? Early on he worked hard but when he was in his peak he admits himself he could have done more for his body.

[Haymaker]

He had a good work ethic. As good as you could ask for someone his size, but he became a little complacent mid-career, and his injuries didn't helped either.