5 times Shaquille O'Neal made controversial remarks on basketball stars ft. Caitlin Clark
Since retiring from the league as a player and taking up the role of a sports analyst, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has often given his unfiltered opinion on basketball players. Shaq's takes often put him in the headlines.
While the list of Shaq's controversial remarks is seemingly inexhaustive, let's take a look at five times the four-time NBA champion has given his unfiltered opinion on basketball stars.
5 times Shaquille O'Neal made questionable remarks on basketball stars
#1 Caitlin Clark
While Caitlin Clark is having a stellar rookie season in the WNBA, Shaquille O'Neal wasn't completely sold. During an interview with USA Today, Shaq claimed that the level of props Clark is receiving in the league is not appropriate as compared to other notable players.
"I understand what everybody's doing. Yeah you're great, but you ain't that great yet. Calm down," Shaq said. "We still got Diana Taurasi, we still got A’ja Wilson, if you’re gonna give (Caitlin) props make sure our girls that are dominating in this league get the same props.
"Loudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating — it’s not hating. It’s like, you’re good but let’s slow it down a notch."
#2 Victor Wembanyama
Victor Wembanyama arguably had one of the best rookie outputs the NBA has ever seen. However, Shaquille O'Neal doesn't seem to believe that the 2023-24 Rookie of the Year will be a dominant player going forward.
On the Pat McAfee Show last week, Shaq highlighted his concerns on Wemby's future in the league as he cited the 7-foot-4 center's shooting as a drawback that may be limiting to his game.
“Wemby is a great player. But I don't really think you can be dominant when you shoot jumpers a lot. I think if he was an inside player at 7-foot-5, the answer would be yes. But when you shoot jumpers, you're always going to go up and down,” O'Neal said.
#3 Rudy Gobert & Ben Simmons
In an interview with COMPLEX earlier this month, Shaquille O'Neal did not hesitate to name Rudy Gobert as the "worst player in NBA history." The LA Lakers legend reasoned his pick by citing that Gobert is not doing enough to have earned the $250 million contract he's acquired.
"If you sign a contract for 250 [million], show me 250," Shaq said. "There's a reason why I walk funny, why I can't turn my neck and why I can't do it is because I played for my 120 [million].
"You got guys like him that f--- the system over and they're making all this money and they can't f---ing play. I don't respect guys like that."
Shaq also put in a jab on Ben Simmons, calling him "another bum."
#4 Donovan Mitchell
Donovan Mitchell had a rather awkward exchange with Shaquille O'Neal after the former's game-winning performance against the New Orleans Pelicans on January 21 in the 2020-21 season.
O'Neal interviewed Mitchell from the NBA on TNT studio after the game and bluntly criticized the guard, suggesting that Mitchell lacked the talent to elevate himself to the "next level."
"You are one of my favorite players but you don't have what it takes to get to the next level," Shaq said. "I said it on purpose, I want you to hear it."
#5 Dwight Howard
Shaquille O'Neal has taken various jabs at Dwight Howard over the years, but it all stems down to an iconic moment when a young Howard made his mark in the league.
Howard adopted the "Superman" nickname, previously associated with Shaq, after his iconic Superman dunk in the 2008 Dunk contest. Since then, O'Neal has called out Howard on various occasions as the tensions still seem to float.
"All I am saying is if all you need is one dunk to be called Superman then maybe don't call me Superman," Shaq said on NBA on TNT.
Watch a few of the instances here: