Shaq: 'MMA is the reason I became a champion'

Shaquille O'Neal, who won four championships during his NBA career, credits mixed martial arts for his success on the court.

In an interview with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, the Hall of Famer explained how he incorporated MMA into his training regime the year he won his first championship with the Los Angeles Lakers.

"MMA is the reason I became a champion," O'Neal said. "I always used to practice basketball. It wasn't enough. Because when I played basketball, it was more wrestling. So when I trained MMA with Jon Burke, a friend of mine down in Orlando, I came back in the best shape of my life. That was in 2000. Won. Dominated.

"So I'm a creature of habit. Did it again, won a second championship. Did it again, won the third championship. Got cute, got away from it, lost. Got traded to Miami, did it again, won the fourth championship."

O'Neal recently put his MMA skills to the test against former NFL defensive end-turned-UFC heavyweight Greg Hardy, which fans will see on Thursday's episode of his new TNT show, "Shaq Life."

"Greg Hardy is the strongest guy I've ever wrestled in my life," O'Neal said. "If we got into it, it'd probably be a long day for me."