Shannon Sharpe and Shaquille O’Neal have been embroiled in one of the most random beefs. Sharpe had alleged that O’Neal is “jealous” of Nikola Jokic while the latter had asked him to stay mum as he doesn’t consider him worthy of debating. Earlier, on the Webby Awards red carpet, the NFL legend expressed that he is “ready to move on” from the whole saga. However, Shaq seems to be reluctant to let go of the conflict.
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In an appearance on the ‘Drafts King podcast’ with John Wall and CJ Toledano, the 3x NBA Finals MVP explained his reasons for the beef and hinted that he might not have moved on from it like the NFL legend.
The 52-year-old admitted that at this point in his life, he only wants to “make people smile”. It is only due to his work commitments that he offers criticism, so prominent personalities shouldn’t take potshots at him. Interestingly, the Lakers legend brought up his go-to “G-14 classification” criteria when Toledano asked him to address his beef.
Alluding to Sharpe’s comments about O’Neal being “out of shape” and “lazy” during his playing days, Shaq argued that since the former NFL tight end wasn’t an elite NBA Center like him, he has no idea about the injuries faced by the 7’1” Center. Additionally, Shaq advised Sharpe to avoid speculations about his feelings,
“I ain’t had no out-of-shape hamstring injury. Don’t just be talking when you don’t have the G14 classification. You talk about of me being envious of the Joker. I am not envious of anybody.”
Thus, the 4x NBA champion clarified that he won’t tolerate even the slightest disrespect towards him. The legendary NBA figure has not spared any tools to undercut Sharpe. What made him so mad?
Is the Shaquille O’Neal-Shannon Sharpe beef over?
After Nikola Jokic won the MVP award, Shaq told him that, in his opinion, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the award over him.
Sharpe took exception to this and stated that since Jokic is a Center and won his third MVP, Shaq is jealous of him as he won just one regular season MVP award in his career. For Sharpe, this made his GOAT case weaker which renders the 15x NBA All-Star jealous of those who have won it more than him.
These comments triggered the 2x scoring champ who wrote a long Instagram post, virtually asking Sharpe to shut up about him since he isn’t listed as a top-ten player in his “profession”. Shaq’s argument was based on the NFL All-Time 100 list where the former Broncos tight end is listed as #51. Then, Diesel also rolled out a diss track, referring to the NFL legend as someone “beneath him”.
While the NBA legend showed no signs of relenting, the 3x Super Bowl champion is willing to bury the hatchet. It will be interesting to see if Sharpe ever makes a critical comment about the Inside the NBA analyst. If he does, we can see another fierce war of words between the two.
