Shaquille O'Neal is 7'1" and perhaps the most physically imposing player the NBA has ever seen.

Yao Ming, at 7'6", dwarfs him in a photo posted to Shaq's Instagram.

Yao wasn't just tall, he was historically, exceptionally tall even by NBA standards.

We have more thoughts on this below (via r/NBA):

@shaq

Our initial theory was that Yao gained weight, resulting in a size disparity that made him appear taller than Shaq than he used to be.

But then we went back and looked at some pictures, and it's clear that Yao made Shaq look small on the court too.

Evidence:

AP

AP

AP

As a reference point, look at Shaq next to normal person Chris Christie. Yao Ming is enormous:

@GovChristie

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