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Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Destroys Load Management Strategy with Fascinating Story
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- Lakers Legend Shaquille O’Neal Destroys Load Management Strategy with Fascinating Story
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
An interesting reveal from Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal about his career destroys the idea of load management.
Basketball is a physical game, especially at the highest levels. The physicality of the sport leads to injuries, and that sometimes means teams being without important players for long lengths of time or during the playoffs. That is why the idea of load management became en vogue over the last decade.
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For contending teams, they want their top players healthy and available for the playoffs. It's why superstars like LeBron James , Steph Curry , or Kevin Durant have been healthy scratches often to avoid injuries. However, beyond ticket buyers and national TV viewers not getting to see elite stars as much as they should because of the strategy, many around the game simply feel it doesn't make a difference.
In a recent interview, Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal revealed a story about his own career that destroys the idea of load management. According to the 15-time All-Star, he never worked out during the offseason.
"My thing was, it's a long season, I'm going to work my way into shape," O'Neal said during an episode of The Big Podcast . "
Shaq offers a different path to NBA player health instead of load management
The three-time NBA Finals MVP admits he got a lot of heat from the Orlando Magic and Los Angeles Lakers for his disinterest in working out during the offseason. And it's why he got bigger and bigger as he got older. However, he had a good reason for taking personal time in the summer: he had a family.
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With him being away from his family for much of the year, as he focused on being a dominant star in the NBA, he wanted to dedicate his offseasons to giving more of his time to his family, specifically his children.
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Shaquille O'Neal stats: 1,207 G, 23.7 PPG, 10.9 RPG, 2.5 APG, 2.3 BPG
Interestingly enough, he also revealed that when he was being coached by Phil Jackson in LA, the iconic coach told him not to work out and relax more during the offseason. However, when he arrived in Miami in 2004, Pat Riley required him to work out during the summer and be in tip-top shape for the start of the season.
O'Neal had an extremely physical style that should have led to a lot of injuries. However, while there were some seasons where he missed a good amount of time, in 12 of his 19 seasons, he played in 60 or more games, including 75 during 2008-09 when he was 36 years old. He might be perfect evidence that player health is less about getting more rest during the season and maximizing rest, relaxation, and recovery in the offseason.
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