“Magic went through it, Bird went through it” - Shaquille O'Neal hopes Ben Simmons finds a way to cope with criticism, says he wishes him well and hopes he wins a championship

Shaquille O'Neal is urging Ben Simmons to have the mental fortitude of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird [Photo: Sporting News]

Shaquille O'Neal has the same message for Ben Simmons following the Australian superstar’s trade to the Brooklyn Nets via the James Harden swap.

The "Big Diesel" previously decided to back off on his criticism of Simmons after the point guard's direct message to him via Instagram. The legendary big man insists that the former Philadelphia 76ers star needs to learn to accept the reproofs like past NBA greats in order to succeed.

In an interview via the Rich Eisen show, Shaquille O'Neal was asked if he had a message for the new Brooklyn Nets star. The Hall-of-Famer politely declined but wished Simmons well.

Here’s how O'Neal relayed his hopes for Simmons:

“I do not have a message for him. I wish him well. Hopefully, all his dreams come true. I hope he wins a championship. I hope he finds ways to cope with what’s going to continue to happen. Criticism will never stop. Social media will never stop. You miss a shot, down by one, the faces will never stop. Magic went through it, Bird went through it.”

Shaquille O'Neal’s first message to Ben Simmons following their public spat was to accept the flak from fans and basketball analysts. The iconic LA Lakers great even compared him to former teammate Joel Embiid, who has mastered his game after learning from mistakes and improving.

This time around, O'Neal compared the former All-NBA Defense team member’s situation to no less than Magic Johnson and Larry Bird. Despite the legendary duo’s well-chronicled greatness, they received criticism and rose above the chidings to become true greats of basketball.

Is Ben Simmons in Brooklyn going to work? And how’s he going to look with his new team?

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Shaquille O'Neal went even further by including Bill Russell himself as an example:

“Forget the names I said. What about Bill Russell? Couldn’t stay in white hotels…he will arrive and he be separated from his team, he get death threats. You don’t think he had stuff to go through? I don’t have a message. I wish him well. I wish everybody well.”

Will Ben Simmons follow Shaquille O'Neal’s advice?

It remains to be seen how new Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons will respond to inevitable criticism once he starts playing again [Photo: NBA.com]

At this point, Ben Simmons has no other option but to do what Shaquille O'Neal has been asking him to do. The versatile point-forward has no other option but to man up and play the game despite the inevitable spotlight and flagging.

Basketball fans in New York, including in Brooklyn, are not particularly the easiest people to please. If they can get on Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, they’ll certainly do the same to Ben Simmons.

O'Neal also suggested that mental fortitude is something that Simmons should strive to learn. Unless he does so, he could see another repeat of the entire Philly fiasco.