NBA body transformations: 8 biggest changes of all time

The NBA is full of talented players that have undergone body transformations throughout the years. Here are 8 of the most high-profile ones.

The NBA is full of talented players that have undergone body transformations throughout the years. Many players come into a league at a young age which allows them to transform their bodies. Multiple players have become a lot stronger and dominant through these transformations.

Biggest NBA body transformations of all time:

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Shaquille O'Neal

Shaquille O'Neal is known as the most dominant player ever, but many forget he was relatively thin at the start of his career. Coming out of the draft, O'Neal was 294 pounds and stayed around that weight during his time with the Orlando Magic.

When O'Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers, he started to gain weight. During ‘Inside the NBA' O'Neal revealed his weight during his championship seasons with the Lakers. Shaq said “[The] First championship? 345. Second championship? 365. Last championship? 395. I was big that last championship.”

Shaq had one of the biggest transformations of any player, and it helped him become one of the best to ever play the game of basketball.

LeBron James

LeBron James is one of the biggest names in the sports world and is another player that went through a body transformation. Coming out of high school, LeBron was hyped up to be one of the greatest ever. He lived up to the hype but went added a ton of muscle throughout the years.

Since joining the NBA, LeBron has gained somewhere between 20 to 40 pounds of muscle. His high level of strength is part of what makes him a nightmare to defend.

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Perhaps the most impressive NBA body transformation is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Giannis entered the league at 6'9 and weighing 190 pounds. Over the years, he has become one of the strongest players in the league. Giannis is now 6'11 and weighs 242 pounds.

He was able to accomplish this through his incredible work ethic. Giannis is one of the hardest-working players in the league

This is a crazy change as he not only got stronger and heavier, but Giannis also got taller. He is one of the most dominant current players in the league and this transformation helped him get there.

Mike Bibby

Mike Bibby had one of the most surprising transitions of any player. The reason is his transformation came after his NBA career. Bibby was a skinny point guard during his career, but a photo in 2018 showed how built he became.

Bibby's body transformation showed that you can get stronger even after a professional career in sports.

Joel Embiid

The runner-up for the MVP award this season, Joel Embiid didn't start as a dominant big. Embiid was great in his rookie campaign despite injuries but he was not the player he is today. Coming out of college, he weighed 240 pounds and is now 280 pounds.

While the weight gain is part of the NBA body transformation, that wasn't the focus. Embiid had dealt with injuries that the trainers wanted to limit. They were able to accomplish this by utilizing his frame well. This has allowed Embiid to maximize his potential and is now one of the top players in the league.

Kevin Love

Kevin Love is a player that changed his game and NBA body tremendously throughout his career. Coming out of the draft, Love weighed 270 pounds and was a walking double-double. Upon being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Love decided to lose weight to fit into the high-tempo offense.

He dropped all the way down to 240 pounds and was a great fit with LeBron James and Kyrie Irving. Love went on to win a championship and was a big part of it.

His transformation was very impactful and made him into an accomplished player.

Anthony Davis

Anthony Davis was selected with the first pick and began to work on his frame. He entered the league at 220 pounds and worked on building strength through his first few seasons. Davis now weighs 254 pounds and has maintained a 10 percent body fat.

The strength he gained throughout his career has helped him become a top big in the NBA. Davis is a vital part of the Lakers, and his transformation helped him become the player he is today.

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Steven Adams

Steven Adams is known as one of the strongest players in the NBA, but he wasn't always that way. Adams entered the league as a rather skinny center, but he quickly built a strong body. He is now one of if not the strongest players in the league and stayed around the same weight as he was coming out of college.

All of these players went through crazy NBA body transformations, and it will be interesting to see more in the future.