Lakers Icon Reveals How Muscular '70-Year-Old Guy' Inspired Him To Get Back In Shape

A former Los Angeles Lakers superstar has decided to make a life-changing decision.

Shaquille O’Neal is among the few NBA legends who managed to maximize both his size and talent during his active years in the league.

In his 19-year career in the NBA, O’Neal--who weighed more than 300 pounds--has dominated most of his opponents inside the paint.

However, the 15-time NBA All-Star realized that the said advantage is no longer relevant now that he is officially retired.

In a recent exclusive interview with Men’s Journal, O’Neal admitted that he indulged in “sandwiches” and different kinds of desserts following his retirement.

According to O’Neal, all of that changed in a snap after he saw an insanely fit “70-year-old” man on social media.

Fearing that his diet and eating patterns will soon make him look too old for his age, the 49-year-old decided to switch his diet to a low-carb, high-protein diet in the hope to be as fit and youthful as the old “guy” he saw on Instagram.

“My problem is, I’ve always been a sandwich guy,” the NBA Hall of Famer confessed. “Sandwich for lunch, sandwich for dinner, sandwich for snack. And when all of that was going on last year, I couldn’t sleep. So, I’d wake up at three in the morning and make a sandwich, five in the morning and make a sandwich. But I was starting to look old and I didn’t want to. So I said to myself, I want to take my shirt off on Instagram one last time.”

“I saw this 70-year-old guy on there, and he had muscles everywhere,” he continued. “So I just decided to switch it up. No more bread, no more late-night lemon Oreos, no more Entenmann’s cakes, none of that. ”

So far, O’Neal has already been on the said diet for “six months” and the results have been fascinating.

Raving about his accomplishment, O’Neal said that he has now regained his “six pack,” something he has not had in him for quite some time now.

“I’ve been doing this for six months and just eating fruit, protein shakes, salads, fish, chicken and asparagus or other vegetables,” he revealed. “Very small portions and eating that everyday has helped me lose 25-30 pounds.”

“I started to see stuff that I haven’t seen in 20 to 30 years—like a six-pack. And I haven’t had one of those since I was on the 2006 Miami Heat.”