Shaquille O’Neal isn’t shy to share his opinions about the world, the United States, and even less about the NBA. The Big Diesel, as one of the most dominant players of all time, has a respected voice in the association. Shaq doesn’t hesitate to call out people who don’t put the maximum effort regardless of who gets offended by his words.
This NBA season, he had some harsh words for Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, and more recently, Ben Simmons, who received some big shots from O’Neal this week after he decided not to play for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022 postseason. Moreover, Shaq remembered one of his old victims in recent days, calling out people who label certain players ‘superstar’ when they haven’t done much in the league.
During a recent edition of his “The Big Podcast with Shaq“, O’Neal was asked if he still considers James Harden a superstar in the NBA. He had a blunt response, affirming that Harden isn’t on that level anymore while taking some jabs at Donovan Mitchell, another player called ‘superstar’ who has underperformed in the playoffs.
“Y’all be giving out a lot of these awards to some of these bums and I’m like, ‘What!?’ For example, what did I say about Donovan Mitchell two years ago? Everybody jumping on me and hating and I be quiet. What’s he doing now?… Is that what superstars do?”
O’Neal and Mitchell’s history dates from last year when the 4x NBA champion told Donovan right to his face that he didn’t have what it takes to win. At the time, those words were controversial, with Shaq getting a big backlash for them. He would double down on that, even claiming he’d take Russell Westbrook over Mitchell, earning more hate in the process.
Well, time has proven Shaq right, as Mitchell keeps struggling to have a deep playoff run with the Jazz. Last season, even after posting the best record in the league, they failed to confirm that, losing against the Kawhi Leonard-less Los Angeles Clippers in the second round of the postseason.
Spida has a lot to prove in the league, especially after the last two seasons. He’s been linked with a move away from Utah, but the team is keen to retain him and build a talented squad for him. Still, until he shows that he can be the first option in a contender team, all these comments will keep coming. It’s up to him to shut everybody up.
