“Trying to become the first coach to win Sixth Man of the Year” - Shaquille O’Neal trolls Monty Williams in his Shaqtin’ A Fool segment
Although the NBA continues to be one of the most competitive leagues in the world of professional sports, it's good to see the game can produce humor as well. As part of TNT's show "Inside the NBA," Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has a popular segment that highlights some of the top "bloopers" from around the league.
In his most recent episode of "Shaqtin' A Fool," O'Neal focused on a blunder from Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams. O'Neal jokeed that Williams was "trying to be the first coach to win Sixth man of the year."
During a game against the Golden State Warriors, Monty Williams assumed the Warriors had called a timeout after the Suns made a basket. He walked onto the court getting prepared to talk to his team as they made their way toward the bench.
Unfortunately for Williams, the Warriors didn't call a timeout, which eventually led to Williams picking up a technical foul for walking on the floor during live play. When asked about it during his postgame news conference, Williams laughed and admitted he knew it was a silly mistake on his part.
"I was thinking 'Shaqtin' A Fool.'"
While basketball fans and players can get caught up in the NBA's competitive nature, it's enjoyable to see individuals around the league laugh off some of the their mistakes. Although Williams received a technical foul for his error, luckily enough the mistake didn't cost the team, as the Phoenix Suns still went on to defeat the Golden State Warriors 104-96 on Nov. 30.
As of now, Williams has plenty to be happy about as the Suns have won 19 of their past 20 games. Their only loss was a rematch with the Warriors in San Francisco, a 118-96 decision on Friday.
The Phoenix Suns have been one of the best teams in the NBA. Their 1-3 start is a distant memory as the Suns (20-4) have skyrocketed up the standings and are tied with the Warriors for the league's best record.
Their success this season continues what they accomplished last season, when they shocked the world and were just two wins away from winning last year's NBA championship. That run came after missing the playoffs in the 10 previous seasons.
If Phoenix continues to play at this level, Williams, now in his third season at the helm of the Suns, and his team will be all smiles throughout the rest of the season.