Shaquille O’Neal has had feuds with multiple players in the NBA – active and retired. JaVale McGee was merely one of the many with whom he beefed with for a long time. Draymond Green also decided to chime in on the controversial topic, stating that the TNT analyst would deliberately mock McGee.
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Draymond Green made an appearance on Shaquille O’Neal’s The Big Podcast. The duo had a nearly 50-minute conversation, per the YouTube video, and discussed a plethora of topics ranging from the ongoing playoffs to events that occurred in the past as well. At one point in the episode, the two had a quick chat about O’Neal’s mistreatment of JaVale McGee.
As expected, Shaq decided to play innocent and claimed that he did go out of his way to “pick on” McGee. Green, who spent two seasons as the center’s teammate, simply disagreed with the TNT analyst.
Shaq: “Did y’all think I was picking on JaVale McGee when I was doing Shaqtin-A-Fool?”
Draymond: “You for sure used to pick on JaVale. 1000%.”
Despite stating that O’Neal would pass nasty remarks regarding McGee, Green acknowledged that the lowlight clips would be hilarious. However, the Golden State Warriors forward went on to bust a myth.
Due to his constant appearance on the infamous Shaqtin-A-Fool segment, there had been a misconception formed regarding McGee being “dumb”. But, per Dray, McGee was one of the smartest players he shared the court with.
“They definitely were his clips. They were f**king hilarious too, man. JaVale my guy though. There’s a common misconception that he’s a dumb guy. He’s one of the smartest players I’ve ever played with. He’s like a computer geek, like nerd. Basketball – he had some rough moments,” Green said.
The TNT’s Shaqtin-A-Fool was meant to be a light-hearted segment to leave fans in splits. However, JaVale was a part of the show and even won more Shaqtin-A-Fool MVPs than any other player. Hence, his annoyance at the Los Angeles Lakers legend was completely justified.
The two-time champion getting frustrated easily would lead to the Big Aristotle pulling his leg further. However, the Hall-Of-Famer did put an end to all the trolling once their mothers got involved in the situation.
How did Shaquille O’Neal mocking JaVale McGee come to an end?
NBA introduced the Shaqtin-A-Fool segment on TNT in 2011. Right off the bat, JaVale McGee became the scapegoat, winning the MVP in successive years. Despite having his name associated with Shaqtin-A-Fool for a long period, JaVale got really bothered in 2017 when he was mentioned on the show for missing a layup.
“It was like a last straw… I was like ‘Did they just put me on Shaqtin’ a Fool for missing a layup?’ Not air balling a layup, nothing crazy… This is it, bro. I’m not going for this s**t no more.”
“Bro, first of all, you’re (Shaq) a perennial Hall of Famer. Your reach is global… Like why do this to another black man? At that point, I just didn’t understand why I need to be the butt of his jokes,” McGee told Draymond Green on The Volume.
In 2017, their beef was well-documented with both NBA personalities going back-and-forth on Twitter.
@SHAQ get my 🥜's out of your mouth! And EAD! #thatisall
— Javale PIERRE 3Xs McGee (@JaValeMcGee) February 24, 2017
@JaValeMcGee34 now since you on a good team u wanna act like you a player now stop it u will only be remembered for shaqtin a fool #bumass
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) February 24, 2017
Forget being on a good team… Ima grown man… you've had these 🥜's in yo mouth for 5-6 years now… u thought I was just gone stay silent? https://t.co/3gTpTgVgmU
— Javale PIERRE 3Xs McGee (@JaValeMcGee) February 24, 2017
Oh we threatening people now? Kick rocks you old bastard… you ain't gone do sh** !!! And that's on my mama… stick to cooning! https://t.co/ZFuGREc1WJ
— Javale PIERRE 3Xs McGee (@JaValeMcGee) February 24, 2017
However, Shaq decided to put an end to their squabble once his mother stepped in and took control of the matter. Upon Lucille O’Neal’s instructions, Shaq promised that he would never mention McGee’s name again.
“My mama. Just say Shaq’s mom called him, told him, ‘Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.’ So that’s the end of the beef. You won’t be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken,” Shaq said.
Even JaVale McGee’s mother, Pamela McGee, expressed her opinion on Shaq’s constant trolls. Even though the TNT analyst had already sworn to keep her son’s name out of his show, Pamela vented:
“He cyberbullied my son. Totally inappropriate. Shaquille needs to lose his job or be suspended. The NBA needs to make a stand.”
Sticking true to his promise, Shaquille O’Neal never badmouthed JaVale McGee after that. Instead, the Lakers legend did praise the other during the beginning of the 2023-2024 season.
