NBA legend and sports commentator Shaquille O’Neal had fans lusting after his body after showing off his physique in a shirtless video.
According to Yahoo News, O’Neal showed off his toned body via an Instagram video on Oct. 20. In the video, he’s seen walking into his home gym wearing nothing but orange trunks, which comedian Gary Owens called “Bengal” shorts, and a pair of sneakers.
“#THOTDADDYTHURSDAY STARTS TODAY,” the former NBA player wrote in the post’s caption.
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Naturally, his buff physique caught the attention of lustful admirers who nicknamed him “chocolate hulk,” among other things. The post even racked up over 15,000 comments and half a million views.
“OK, Shaq, looking like a chocolate hulk,” one user wrote.
“I sat and watched the whole thing, OK chocolate!” another said.
“Ain’t nothing like a chocolate man,” another commented.
Entertainment Tonight host Nischelle Turner even chimed in, writing, “The Prince of Thotlandia [laughing emojis].”
During an interview with YouTuber Logan Paul on the Impulsive podcast, Shaq revealed what inspired his love for working out and where he is in his fitness journey.
“I was looking at myself and I had that Charles Barkley retirement body. All right, I didn’t want my stomach over the belly anymore so I’m just like, ‘Let me go ahead and get slim,'” he shared. He also shared that he developed sleep apnea, a disorder in which a person’s brain doesn’t send proper breathing signals. One of the main causes of the disorder is weight gain, and can result in death if not treated.
Shaq added that he’s shed almost 40 pounds so far.
“I was 401 pounds, now I’m 365. I’m trying to take it back to 345 and I want to have muscles everywhere and I want to do underwear [Fruit of the Looms] with my sons,” he said.
His dedication to the gym can additionally be seen in another shirtless IG post of him from September.
“Damn, I’m old,” he wrote in the post’s caption. It’s clear, however, that his viewers have a totally different reaction to his body.
