Shaq’s road to single name superstar status has not been without bumps. Born in Newark, NJ, he grew up an Army brat, getting bounced around between stints in Georgia, Germany and San Antonio. The constant shuffling made it hard to fit in—and towering 6'5" by the age of 13 did not help—so, sports became a refuge.

Shaq always seems to have the last infectious laugh, whether being selected No. 1 in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic, winning Olympic gold with the 1996 Dream Team, leading the Los Angeles Lakers to back-to-back-to-back NBA titles, or taking home all three MVP trophies as well as the championship rings.

Following a disappointing loss earlier this year in the NBA Finals and facing an offseason that promised plenty of drama, tumult and intrigue, Shaq was in high spirits and happy to chat with me as he cooled his heels and cleared his mind big style in a villa at Bellagio.

Describe an ideal day at home in the off-season.
I get up around nine o’ clock. Eat breakfast—maybe some egg whites, fruit and water. Then I’ll go workout for a couple hours, lifting weights or running. I have five kids and they’ll know what they want to do by the time I get home. The kids run the bulk of the day. We live in Orlando, so we’ll swim, go to Universal Studios or Gatorland. After we have dinner, my wife and I get them to bed and I’ll go do something for myself like ride one of my motorcycles.