Shaquille O’Neal once doubled his bench press to 375lbs after losing in the 1995 NBA Finals - "I realized I sort of laid down and took a vacation"

The 1995 NBA Finals was the time when a young Shaquille O'Neal and the Orlando Magic got swept by Hakeem Olajuwon's Houston Rockets. This humbling experience served as a wake-up call for the 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year.

Via a 1996 story by SI.com, O'Neal revealed that he was slammed by his father for not trying hard enough despite providing his team with averages of 28 points, 12.5 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.5 blocks.

"After the Finals were over, my father told me that I wasn't playing hard enough, and he was right," O'Neal said. "After looking back at it, I realized I sort of laid down and took a vacation. I was chillin'."

The heartbreaking loss was a huge learning experience for Shaquille O'Neal and it forced him to go on a weightlifting regimen. It didn't help as he broke his thumb in an exhibition game and he has to miss the first 22 games of the regular season.

Venting out his frustration, the 'Big Diesel' used weights to help him cope. From lifting 150 lbs on the bench press, O'Neal was able to push himself to increase the weight to 375 lbs.

Shaquille O'Neal leaves Orlando Magic for the Los Angeles Lakers

Losing in the 1995 NBA Finals, Shaquille O'Neal made it a point that every season was championship or bust. A season later, his Orlando Magic failed to making the NBA Finals after getting swept again but this time against the 72-10 1996 Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan.

Heading to the 1996 off-season, the former LSU Tiger was a free agent and he prioritized returning to the Orlando Magic to run it back again. Once Alonzo Mourning secured a $100 million deal with the Miami Heat, O'Neal wanted $150 from Orlando but they were not able to give it to him.

O'Neal's agent then explored the field and that is when the Los Angeles Lakers made a huge pitch. The seven-foot-one center signed for $121 million for seven years and the rest was history.

The Lakers would team up Shaq with Kobe Bryant and win three championships. Meanwhile, the O'Neal trade made the NBA create a restricted free agency which is practiced at the present time.