Shaquille O’Neal is a legendary basketball player who has played 20 NBA seasons, earned four NBA titles and was selected to 15 All-Star Games. Part of O’Neal’s success came from his imposing size on the pitch.
Many basketball players are already taller than the average American, but O’Neal was notoriously taller than his teammates and opponents. Read below How tall is Shaq’s height and feet size
Shaquille O’Neal’s greatness
He was often taller than average for much of his childhood. When O’Neal was a freshman in high school, he was already 6 feet 6 inches tall. Because of his size and his tendency to get into trouble, his parents encourage him to take part in sports like basketball so he can turn those things into something positive.
Since then, O’Neal has grown into a formidable basketball player. Today, O’Neal is 7 feet and 1 inch tall.
He’s definitely tall enough to be a basketball star, but he’s not the tallest player the NBA has ever seen. Yao Ming , in particular, is taller than O’Neal by about five inches at 7 feet 6 inches. The Tallest NBA Player of All Time title would have to go to two players, both 7ft 7in: Gheorghe Muresan of Romania and the late Manute Bol of what is now South Sudan.
Shaquille O’Neal’s shoe size
O’Neal’s size isn’t the only thing that impresses him. The 47-year-old also wears shoes that are much larger than average. Most men in the world wear shoes in the 9 to 12 range. However, O’Neal’s shoes are a size 22 .
Interestingly, Yao Ming’s shoes are slightly smaller at size 18, although Ming is taller. Other NBA players (past and current) with big feet include Kevin Durant (size 18), Robin Lopez (20), and Bob Lanier (22).
O’Neal also understands very well what it’s like to grow taller than other kids his age. Earlier this year he helped a teenager who was struggling to find size 18 shoes.
The boy’s mother explained on social media: ‘It’s difficult to find shoes and cleats in his size, let alone being able to afford them sometimes. He’s almost 19 and I need help. ‘
O’Neal surprised the family by buying 10 pairs of shoes for the young athlete from a store where he also bought his own shoes growing up. “I’m going to take care of the kid today because someone did it for me,” O’Neal said. ‘I’m doing it for the kid… That should take him a long time.’
Are Shaq’s family members also big and tall like him?
Since Shaq is a big guy, it’s not surprising that his family members aren’t that short either.
His parents aren’t over 10 feet like him, but they’re definitely taller than average . Both his mother and father stand at 6 feet and 2 inches.
Meanwhile, O’Neal’s children are big, too. He has two teenage sons who play basketball – Shareef and Shaqir. Shareef is 6ft 11in while Shaquir is 6ft 5in. O’Neal’s other son, Myles, is an aspiring model and is said to be 6ft 2in. O’Neal also has three daughters whose exact height is unknown. Based on photos taken with the whole family, O’Neal’s daughters definitely appear to be taller than average.
Many of the women O’Neal has dated are also taller than average. His ex-wife, Shaunie Nelson, is reportedly 5 feet 11 inches. His current girlfriend, Laticia Rolle, is 5ft 6in.