NBA legends are at the level they are because they know better than anybody else what it takes to win consistently in the league. While they may not always be right about everything, their experiences, accomplishments, and talent give them insight into the game that nobody can deny. However, today’s stars don’t always appreciate the advice that the ones that have gone before them care to give.
Shaquille O’Neal is a vocal part of basketball media, someone who has thrived on Inside The NBA and several other popular shows as an analyst. And having been arguably the most dominant player of all time, Shaq has what he likes to call ‘G-14 classification’ to criticize the current best players. But sometimes, his takes aren’t received well, especially his repeated shots at Donovan Mitchell. But Shaq had something to say about that on ‘The Big Podcast’.
“I don’t slander, I just give him information so he could be the best ever,” Shaquille said. “I speak facts. I say, ‘Yeah, you’re good, but do you wanna be great? Do you wanna be the greatest?’ You can listen to what I say or how I say it. All I know is I’m giving out information.
“Remember, I could say what I say brother. How many rings do I have? Four, brother. Three in LA, one in Miami brother. And I should’ve gotten one in Orlando, but I didn’t have the knowledge of basketball to get there.
“See now I have the knowledge, I’m giving you the knowledge, brother. If you don’t wanna take that knowledge, brother, that’s on you.”
Donovan Mitchell is an excellent scorer in this league, but he hasn’t approached the levels that some of the legendary guards that played with Shaquille O’Neal did. Considering that Shaq’s experiences are with Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade, it’s understandable that his expectations from a scoring guard like Mitchell are that much higher than everyone else’s.
