Sharpe and Shaq fire back-and-forth shots over comments about the MVP award: "If you ain't ranked in the top ten in your profession, then you can't speak on me"
sharpe-and-oneal
After the NBA announced Nikola Jokic won his third MVP award, the Denver Nuggets superstar appeared on Inside the NBA for his first interview after winning the biggest individual plum in the league.
Shaquille O’Neal said he did not want to rain on Nikola’s parade but felt he needed to say MVP runner-up Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the award. It has led to a raucous reaction around social media, including ESPN’s pundit and NFL legend Shannon Sharpe to weigh in and call out O’Neal.
“Shaq should have five MVPs, he sees a guy like Nikola Jokic, who is not as dominant as him, get three in four years,” Sharpe said on The Nightcap. “But see, when you’re historically great, they talk about you as a great basketball player, the GOAT, and Shaq is never brought up, and I think a part of him is envious about that.”
Shannon makes a valid point
It has been a point of contention over the past few decades that Shaq could have been even more dominant if he worked harder. That disagreement was the primary reason his relationship with Kobe Bryant deteriorated; the latter wanted to see Shaq work as hard as him.
The Big Aristotle and Kobe clashed, which led to the Los Angeles Lakers choosing the younger star and trading Shaq to the Miami Heat. Initially, O’Neal had the last laugh because he would win the championship in Miami in 2006, but Kobe and LA would win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, resulting in Bean having five total championships compared to Shaq’s four.
Many have theorized that if the big man had only worked harder, he and Kobe would have won more championships. They already won three in the early 2000s, but that dominance could have extended past 2002
Shaq fires back at Shannon
After O’Neal got wind of Sharpe’s statements on The Nightcap, he posted a lengthy response on Instagram. He minimized Shannon’s legendary NFL career and essentially said he was better during his NBA career than Sharpe was in football.
“If you ain’t ranked in the top ten in your profession, then you can’t speak on me. Don’t forget I know what you did to get where you at,” Shaq said on his Instagram. “Me jealous, sounds like you jealous. I know you tryna stay relevant by gossiping on your podcast. We don’t believe you.”
It was a wild post for Shaq to make, but he has been notorious for firing back at any critic. He feels he was right to tell the Joker about his feelings on the MVP award, even if other people might disagree.
Sharpe was a legendary NFL player, winning three Super Bowls, and is a unanimous choice as one of the greatest tight-end and overall players in the sport’s history. Since Shaq fired some incendiary shots at him, Unc responded on Nightcap, saying O’Neal struggles with praising players, citing the debacle of Shaq’s thoughts on Steve Nash’s MVPs.
“I’ve never professed that I was as great as Shaq, but I will say I got what I got because I worked my a** off. Shaq has been the one to say that he didn’t work as hard, he didn’t train as hard, he didn’t eat as well as he should have,” Unc said on Nightcap. “Shaq is the one that anytime someone wins an MVP, he talks about how he should’ve been the MVP over Steve Nash.”
This ongoing feud is bound to remain a heated topic for the foreseeable future, as Shaq shows no signs of backing down, while Shannon, adept at acknowledging him, anticipates further social media posts and televised discussions from “The Diesel.”