"Tom's the greatest in the world" - Shaquille O'Neal appreciates Tom Brady standing up for former teammate Antonio Brown
Former NBA and Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O'Neal has commended the character of NFL superstar Tom Brady with regards to the whole Antonio Brown fiasco.
Speaking to Madison Brodsky on The Buzz, Shaquille O'Neal was vocal about his appreciation and support for Tom Brady and everything he has done for Antonio Brown. Shaq said:
"Tom's the greatest in the world. He has G20 classification. See, I only got G14 but Tom has that presidential, congressional classification. He could have went off but he said - do you know what I love this guy, I care about this guy. And he did because he went to bat for this guy."
Diesel was asked about the whole Antonio Brown situation with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Bruce Arians, which saw the wide receiver strip his pads and walk out during their game against the New York Jets.
Antonio Brown has a history of misdemeanors and this was the latest example. Tom Brady was the one who wanted Antonio Brown in Tampa Bay last season, and it was purely because of his recommendation that Antonio Brown became a player for the Buccaneers.
.@SHAQ takes On Big Game Weekend in Los Angeles with #ShaqsFunHouseLA Presented by #FTX on Friday, 2/11 youtu.be/CX36qdO8Avc https://t.co/lBxrtl0Cqk
Shaquille O'Neal and his love for NFL
A lot of NBA players have been part of discussions about whether they could have played professional football. Given their physical gifts, the likes of LeBron James, Michael Jordan and a lot of other NBA players have been touted to play in the NFL. Shaquille O'Neal is part of this conversation.
Standing at 7-feet, 1-inch, Shaq was a freak of nature who is widely considered to be the most dominant force the NBA has ever seen. Along with his height, the sheer girth and size of Shaq made him unstoppable near the post as he wreaked havoc in the NBA for the better part of two decades.
Shaquille O'Neal’s stats during the Lakers three-peat, 2000-2002
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35.8 PPG
15.2 RPG
3.5 APG
2.9 BPG
59 FG%
Pure dominance🔥 https://t.co/6E9O6P57Pq
Shaq was so dominant that the opposition had to employ a tactic called Hack-a-Shaq in a desperate attempt to stop the Diesel. Hack-a-Shaq involved opposing players committing hard fouls to send him to the free throw line as Shaq was a below average free throw shooter. But Shaq spoke about how the tactic didn't really work since his first love was football and that he used to love hitting people on the field. This enabled him to absorb the impact of those hard fouls.
Shaq also talked about how he was more into football than basketball until his father showed him clips of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and other great centers in the NBA. Whether Shaquille O'Neal could have made it as a professional football player is something we'll never know. But it is worth pondering the kind of damage Shaq would have caused had he played in the NFL.