ICYMI: Shaquille O'Neal throws shade at Kevin Durant for not accomplishing much since leaving GSW and Steph Curry
LA Lakers legend and Hall of Fame big man Shaquille O'Neal has been throwing a lot of shade lately. The most recent superstar he has targeted is Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets.
One of O'Neal's recent Instagram stories was a fan tweet about Durant not accomplishing anything since he left Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors. It seems the four-time NBA champion has been unimpressed with Durant's tenure in Brooklyn, which has been fairly disappointing thus far.
This is really on Shaq ig story lmao https://t.co/XQAIDh5lv0
O'Neal was critical of Durant's performance in the Nets' embarrassing sweep against the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. The Celtics defense kept Durant in check, as he averaged only 26.3 points, 6.3 assists and 5.8, while shooting 38.6%.
After the Nets lost 114-107 in Game 2, O'Neal called out Durant and Kyrie Irving on "Inside the NBA":
"I am disappointed in Brooklyn; they had them. The Celtics played terrible in the first half, and Brooklyn came out like we knew they were gonna come out with their two superstars. Durant knows he has to play better; Kyrie disappeared in the second half."
The criticism did not stop there, as the Nets were swept by the Celtics. Charles Barkley called out Durant for "riding the bus" with the Golden State Warriors. After Durant clapped back at Barkley, O'Neal defended his colleague on "The Big Podcast with Shaq":
"What Chuck was saying was that when you were at OKC, you were the man, the pressure was all on you. Then, he made a move to team which already won 72 games. That wasn't your team. It was Steph's team and Klay's team. Yeah, you were the best player, but you had a lot of room being on that team."
Players Shaquille O'Neal has thrown shade at this month
Kevin Durant is not the first player to have been caught in Shaquille O'Neal's crosshairs this month.
Shaquille O'Neal recently posted a photo on Instagram throwing shade at Joel Embiid and James Harden. The LA Lakers legend refused to compare the Philadelphia 76ers duo with him and Kobe Bryant.
In addition to Embiid and Harden, O'Neil also called out Ben Simmons for not suiting up for the Nets this postseason. Simmons, who has undergone back surgery, has been criticized by O'Neal all season long.
Meanwhile, Rudy Gobert was also not spared by Shaquille O'Neil. The beef started when Spice Adams said on "The Big Podcast with Shaq" that Gobert would hold the four-time champion to 12 points. However, after a series of jabs, it seems like Gobert has earned the respect of O'Neil.
"I respect that."
@SHAQ responds to Rudy Gobert's IG comment 👀
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