Calling Out Shaquille O’Neal for Being Worth $1 Billion 15 Months Ago, Kevin Durant Gets Love From Lakers Legend for His Longevity

Advait Jajodia | 14/09/2023
Calling Out Shaquille O'Neal For Being Worth $1 Billion 15 Months Ago, Kevin Durant Gets Love From Lakers Legend For His Longevity

Kevin Durant will be joining an elite group of legends, who played professionally in the NBA for 17 years. Due to the dominance of LeBron James over the past few years, Durant’s longevity has been overlooked by several analysts and enthusiasts. Shaquille O’Neal recently highlighted KD’s longevity by sharing a graphic, demanding that the Phoenix Suns star receives his recognition for the same.

Shaquille O’Neal has always been critical while analyzing certain players. Ever since Rudy Gobert signed a massive $205,000,000 contract extension in 2020, Shaq has publicly been obliterating the French big man. This one time, 15 months ago, Kevin Durant actually came to Gobert’s defense.

In June 2022, KD called out Shaq for being jealous of Rudy’s contract despite being a billionaire. Even though they once did sort of get into a disagreement, O’Neal is now appreciating Durant’s greatness.

Shaquille O’Neal highlights the fact that Kevin Durant is entering Year 17

Shaquille O’Neal posted a graphic on his Instagram Stories that highlighted the fact that Kevin Durant was entering Year 17. With the post being captioned as “I think it’s time to appreciate his longevity”, Shaq is clearly demanding fans to acknowledge the same.

The Slim Reaper has been one of the best players in the league ever since he’s been a part of the NBA. So far, in his illustrious career, the former Texas Longhorn has managed to accumulate 13 All-Star selections, 10 All-NBA selections, four scoring titles, one MVP, two Championships, and two Finals MVPs.

This past 2022-23 season was statistically one of his best campaigns ever since he parted ways with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Representing the Brooklyn Nets (39 games) and the Phoenix Suns (8 games), the forward lodged 29.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.

It’s pretty incredible how Durantula has consistently been among the top 10 players in the NBA despite suffering a horrific Achilles tear. In fact, ever since Kevin’s return from the devastating injury, he’s been putting up better stats (28.8/7.1/5.7) than he did during his three-year stint with the Golden State Warriors (25.8/7.1/5.4). Clearly, Kevin Durant has managed to perform at the highest level despite being “old”.

Shaq flexed his resume as a response to KD

Kevin Durant and Shaquille O’Neal are two such personalities from the basketball world who spend ample time tackling trolls on social media. On more than one instance, the two legends of the game have locked horns on Twitter.

While criticizing Shaq for not knowing who Rui Hachimura was, KD got ripped apart when the TNT analyst flexed his overly stacked resume.

Even though these two constantly bicker on social media, they don’t have any ill intentions toward each other. Two of the best players in their respective positions, Shaq and Durant respect each other for all that they’ve contributed to the game.

Post Edited By: Hitesh Nigam
Kevin Durant Shaquille O'Neal

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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