We’re still doing this, huh? Another night of NBA action, another round of retired legends like Shaquille O’Neal trashing the league they helped build. This generation of former stars-turned-analysts seems more committed than ever to undermining the current era of basketball, which is exactly why Awful Announcing’s Matt Yoder wrote earlier this week that today’s sports media still doesn’t know how to talk about the NBA. Yoder called out how hopelessly out of touch the conversation has become, none more emblematic than Shaquille O’Neal, who seems determined to lead the charge against any player younger than 35.
Constant hater of everything in today’s NBA, Shaquille O’Neal, said before the game that he was better than Jokić in his prime and that he would turn the two-time MVP into “Slavian chicken or wherever he’s from.” The fact that Jokić put up a 60-point triple-double immediately after the best big man of the previous era couldn’t even say what country he is from is some incredible timing that shouldn’t be lost on anybody.
And right on cue, Shaq took another swing at the modern game, sneaking in a backhanded compliment about LeBron James’ longevity before pivoting to say Ben Simmons should be arrested for stealing $250 million. “People get mad. It’s just a product of what I’ve seen,” Shaquille O’Neal said on his The Big Podcast. “I’ve seen what greatness is, been there, played with them. I don’t see that all the time over there. So, you want me to give these motherf*ckers the same props you giving them? That sh*t will never happen. You can call it hate if you want. Even with the word ‘hate,’ like these f*cking kids, they like to throw that word around. If you ain’t f*cking great and I’m great, how the f*ck can I hate on you? That don’t make no f*cking sense. I’m in the f*cking building, and you not in the building, so how the f*ck can I hate on you?”
“People say Charles and I, we ruin the game talking about the product because the product is sh*t,” Shaq added. “Show me greatness. Like, y’all pay a lot of money for these shoes, and what for — I want to see motherf*ckers be great. And I’m always going to stay on them and motivate them to be great. They can call it ‘hate’ all they want, but I ain’t sucking these motherf*ckers off just because they making $400 million. A lot of these motherf*ckers can’t play — and they know it — in any f*cking era. They can’t f*cking play; [I’m] just saying. Pick and roll, one on one, motherf*cker can’t play, dawg. Joker can play. Giannis [Antetokounmpo] can play. [Damian Lillard], a couple of these guys can play, but a lot of these motherf*ckers can’t play. Ben f*cking Simmons, that motherf*cker needs to be arrested. Jayson Tatum can play. He’s alright. I’m not going to bash him. But Ben Simmons need to be f*cking arrested. $250 for that bullsh*t? Get the f*ck out of my face. Robbing people, man. You can’t do that.”
“A lot of motherf***ers can’t play and they know it… Ben Simmons needs to be f***ing arrested.” 😳
Shaq on the physicality of today’s NBA pic.twitter.com/7JoKm1rImb
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) April 4, 2025
You can’t do a lot of things. But apparently, you can go on national TV, trash half the league, misname a two-time MVP’s home country, and still get framed as some face of basketball analysis. At some point, the conversation around the NBA has to evolve past bitter gatekeeping and highlight what’s actually happening on the court. Because if a 60-point triple-double from Nikola Jokić doesn’t qualify as greatness, maybe it’s not today’s players who don’t get it; maybe it’s the guys in the suits.