"It's not tennis; it's not golf; you don't do it by yourself" - Kenny Smith sides with Shaquille O'Neal in Twitter beef about not winning any championship without Kobe Bryant
Shaquille O'Neal recently went off on a Twitter troll, claiming that he would not have won any championships without Kobe Bryant. Shaq's "Inside the NBA" co-analyst Kenny Smith provided his thoughts on the same.
In an ambush interview with TMZ Sports, Smith was asked about his opinion on O'Neal not winning any championships without help. O'Neal had mentioned to the two-time champ during his epic response to the troll. The LA Lakers legend called him a "big dummy."
"No person can win without another star big dummy," Shaq tweeted. "How many would magic have without kareem; how many would kenny smith have without hakeem; wtf u talking about; I hate dumb ass people; enjoy my stats and stf up."
@barryclayauthor @LegionHoops no person can win without another star big dummy how many would magic have without kareem how many would kenny smith have without hakeem wtf u talking about i hate dumb ass people enjoy my stats and stf up
Shaquille O'Neal won three championships with Kobe Bryant in Hollywood. O'Neal won his fourth in Miami with Dwyane Wade. Meanwhile, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won five rings together, while Kenny Smith earned two titles with Hakeem Olajuwon in Houston.
Smith told TMZ Sports that basketball is a team sport. It takes a whole team to win a championship. "The Jet" noted that O'Neal is right to call out the troll on Twitter. He reasoned that even without role players such as Rick Fox and Robert Horry, O'Neal and Bryant would not have won a title.
"Shaq's 100% correct; it's a team sport," Smith said. "You don't have Rick Fox; you don't have Robert Horry; they don't win either. It's a bunch of guys that contribute. You know with us (Houston Rockets), championships with myself Sam Cassell, Clyde Drexler."
The two-time champion added that basketball is not tennis or golf, where an individual can win titles and championships. He even pointed out that some golfers might not win without the right caddy.
"It's not tennis, man. It's not golf," Smith said. "You don't do it by yourself. And even with golf, if you don't have the correct caddy, you're going to lose."
Shaquille O'Neal gave back to his hometown of Newark
Shaquille O'Neal grew up in Newark, New Jersey, while also spending some time in Germany and San Antonio, Texas. According to CBS News, he recently gave back to his community in Newark by unveiling two new projects. The first project was the renovated Comebaq Court on Hawthorne Avenue.
The four-time champion then proceeded to reveal the new 33-story mixed income residential tower project called "Shaq Tower 2." The building is expected to be on Edison Place, where it will be the largest mixed-income project in the entire state. O'Neal praised Newark mayor Ras Baraka for helping him with his two projects:
"When I first met Mayor Baraka, we talked about restoring my favorite city to its past glory," O'Neal said. "Today, looking around Newark, you can see what teamwork and commitment looks like under true leadership. And that's why Mayor Baraka is my favorite mayor."