14 Months After Calling Out Ben Simmons For His ‘Back Troubles,’ Shaquille O’Neal Sarcastically Lauds 3x All-Star’s Season

NBA legend and TNT analyst Shaquille O’Neal has been critical of Ben Simmons’ troubles at the Brooklyn Nets multiple times. Back in November 2022, Shaq went on a rant against the 3-time All-Star, still only 26 years old. Simmons had cited back troubles for his refusal to play a match but had been pictured dunking during practice a day before.

Now, O’Neal shared a sarcastic post on Twitter “lauding” Simmons’ season. The 6 ft 10 in point guard started just 33 games in a season that saw his downward spiral continue. Shaq, who has been one of his most vocal critics, recently shared the story on Instagram.

Shaquille O’Neal shares sarcastic video on Instagram lauding Ben Simmons’ season

Alongside Joel Embiid, Simmons was long considered to be the future of the Philadelphia 76ers organization. However, the 2016 NBA draft number 1 pick has been on a downward spiral and has struggled in the limited time he registered for the Nets.

O’Neal has been a consistent critic of Simmons, previously going on a rant against the 26-year-old on “The Big Podcast.” Simmons had been seen shooting, dribbling, and dunking during practice one day before a match that he said he was injured playing. O’Neal had questioned the veracity of his “back trouble”:

“Your back can’t hurt if you’re doing all this. Is your back maybe sore? Yeah, everybody’s back sore! I ain’t play in 15 years, my back and my knees and my ankle are sore. … That’s why people don’t respect a guy like that.”

Now, with only 42 appearances for the Nets this season, Simmons spent a considerable time on the sidelines. O’Neal shared a video making fun of Ben Simmons’ season highlights. The clip in fact showed Simmons enjoying his time and cheering on his teammates from the sidelines.

Ben Simmons has continuously been criticized by NBA stars

Of course, O’Neal is hardly the only NBA legend who has spoken about Ben Simmons’ downfall. This includes the likes of Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, and Kendrick Perkins, who appeared to mock Simmons on social media.

The former 76ers’ star has also had to contend with consistent criticism from fans on social media, who are seldom cordial with their criticism. Apart from being a 3-time All-Star, Simmons is also a 2-time All-Defensive first-teamer.

The 26-year-old was reported to be having mental health issues and has shown a consistent inability to shoot even from favorable positions. While most fans will still want to see the best of Simmons, it has been quite some time since he has done more than show flashes of his old self.