Shaquille O’Neal’s opinion is well respected around the NBA community, although he often makes some claims that raise eyebrows around the league. The Big Diesel isn’t shy to share his opinion with the public, no matter who gets offended by it. More often than not, time proves him right, and he’s trying to be correct about something again, this time regarding his former team.
After the Purple and Gold landed Patrick Beverley a couple of weeks ago, many people have wondered what he’s going to do alongside Russell Westbrook, given their history. Not many believe that Pat can be that impactful for the Lakers, but Shaq belongs to the group that thinks the point guard will bring a lot of value to the team.
Not so long ago, he claimed that Beverley and Westbrook would be great together and now is rooting for Pat to make a big impact on the Lakers amid plenty of criticism from doubters.
Shaquille O’Neal Takes A Shot At NBA Superstars While Giving Flowers To Patrick Beverley
During a recent edition of his The Big Podcast with Shaq, the 4x NBA champion had some words about Patrick Beverley and how much he respects the defensive specialist. Shaq made it clear that Beverley plays the game the right way while calling out players with huge contracts that ‘can’t play at all’.
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“Stay off my boy Pat,” Shaq said. “I’ve got nothing bad to say about Pat. You know why? He play the game like it’s supposed to be played. Not these dudes making 200, 300 million and can’t play at all.”
He was more clear in his next statement, apparently taking a shot at Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert for being overpaid while failing to lead their team to the promised land.
“When they get traded, y’all talking about. ‘Oh, Shaq hatin.’ Shaq know what the hell he talking about. They why both they a– up out of there.
Yeah, remember that? Utah fans, remember that?”
He kept complimenting Beverley, saying that he’s the type of guy you want on your team if you’re trying to win.
“Listen, you want a guy like that on the team,” he continued. “A guy like that, you don’t tamper with.”
Patrick Beverley is a very polarizing player, with players looking at the tiniest detail to call him out. He’s somebody who isn’t afraid to express his opinion no matter how many people won’t like it. He brings a lot of intensity to the game, and that’s something the Lakers will need this upcoming season. While not many are convinced this was a good move, Shaq is confident Bev will do a great job on the Lakers.
