“You Didn’t Play at All Fan Boy”: Shaquille O’Neal Lambasts Detractor for Claiming Kobe Bryant and Others Should’ve Retired Earlier

Shaquille O’Neal is extremely active on social media. Not only does he constantly post memes, stats, and facts on his Instagram handle, but Shaq also goes through different basketball-related posts and never shies away from expressing his unfiltered opinion. Recently, the big man came across a take that he didn’t agree with. Instead of letting it slide, the TNT analyst made sure that he gave the video creator a piece of his mind.

In one of his reels, Instagram user @hamtakes listed a few legends who he believed should’ve retired much earlier than they actually did. He proceeded to criticize Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett, Patrick Ewing, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal for dragging along their washed careers, mentioning their subpar stats from their final campaigns.

 

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The user also made nasty comments about Ewing and Shaq being overweight. He pointed out how Olajuwon and Garnett had their final season cut short due to injuries. Despite Kobe Bryant’s 17.6 points per game showing in his last season, the user called the Lakers legend’s final campaign a “glorified victory lap”.

The Big Aristotle came across this video and wasn’t too amused by the comments directed at him and his peers. Hence, the four-time champ decided to leave a comment, clapping back at the detractor. “u disnt play at all fan boy you watch us and u was a fan and u still r,” the Diesel commented.

Shaq disagrees with fan on when players should’ve retired pic.twitter.com/c71rj1FrtS

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) February 12, 2024

A majority of NBA players witness a massive dip in their production during their final years in the league. It is perfectly normal for these players to not have as visually appealing stats as they did in their prime years. But that doesn’t always mean that they don’t belong in the NBA or can’t help their team in any shape or form. Despite averaging low numbers, veteran leaders can guide a team toward great results.

Contrary to what the user believes, Shaq is of the opinion that he could’ve played in the league for a few more years.

Shaquille O’Neal believed he retired early

Shaquille O’Neal was one of the most dominant forces in the NBA for the majority of his career. However, following his three-and-a-half-year stint with the Miami Heat, Shaq was tossed around in the league, playing for four franchises in his final four seasons before retiring.

During the final years of his career, the 7-footer suffered a horrific Achilles injury. Even though the injury kept bothering him, O’Neal played for 37 games in his final season at age 38, and recorded 9.2 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.

Years after his retirement, Shaq admitted that he wanted to play for a few more years. He wanted to complete a personal goal of his – pass Wilt Chamberlain in total points. Additionally, due to the injury that he sustained, TNT offered him a job that was too good to pass.

“Did I retire too early? Yes… So I came up short and TNT offered me a job, and of course I took it—it kept me around basketball. But I retired a year too early… From a personal standpoint, I wanted to pass up Wilt Chamberlain,” Shaq said.

Shaq finished his career with a grand total of 28,596 points scored. He trails Chamberlain by 2,823 points. However, there is no way that an aged Shaq would’ve managed to cover the difference in an additional year or two.