Shaquille O’Neal has been making the headlines in recent weeks and not precisely thanks to the best reasons. The NBA legend has gone after a series of players in recent days, mocking them whenever he has the chance and not everybody is happy with that.
O’Neal took a jab at Rudy Gobert and his contract extension with the Utah Jazz, saying if you can average 11 points per game, you could get paid $200 million while also attacking the player on social media. This has been a recurrent topic for O’Neal, as he’s had stories taking shots at other centers like JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard in the past.
Former NBA star Deron Williams recently talked about this topic, making a big claim about Shaq and how he feels about modern-day centers, which play and are perceived differently than he was during his active days. The former Utah Jazz icon revealed that Shaq has always been a “hater” of current centers and he always shows that.
“It’s a different game (today compared to when O’Neal played). His production doesn’t just show up in stats. … What you don’t see is all the shots that he challenges and how many guys miss just because he’s in the lane and they have to kick it out. His impact isn’t just with stats.
“Shaq’s always been a hater of big men, especially the modern big men. I mean, he just constantly is, and it’s kind of sad honestly to see, but if there’s anybody that can talk and have the ability to talk about guys, it’s Shaq, because he’s put in the work and you can’t really say anything to him.”
For those who missed the interview👇
D-Will on Donovan and Rudy pic.twitter.com/gzCzftjQyL
— Tiffanee With Two E’s (@tiffanee_dawn) February 13, 2021
He also talked about Donovan Mitchell, another player attacked by Shaq, and backed the guard to have a good NBA career and lead the Jazz to compete in the West this season and the next ones.
“I think he’s got that ‘it’ factor. He’s got that infectious charisma. You can see he leads by example. He plays hard. His game speaks for itself. That’s never been an issue, and I think this year he’s definitely stepped up in that leadership role.
“He was challenged by Shaq, and I think he’s pretty much answered that challenge. He’s got this team playing really good basketball and it’s fun to watch him. It’s fun to watch him grow and he’s gotten better every year and just continues to grow.”
D-Will hasn’t been around since he left the league but he made it clear he hopes to be more visible now that the Jazz have a new owner in Ryan Smith. He kept it real, he spoke his mind and a lot of people will agree with him on this one. The Jazz are playing great this season, becoming the best team in the NBA against all odds.
