Kyrie Irving has a huge fan following despite all his antics over the years. However, it has been pretty evident that Shaquille O’Neal is not among the admirers of the 2016 NBA champ. The Big Aristotle, who called Irving an “idiot” during the anti-Semitism controversy, has now compared him to another controversial guard – Russell Westbrook.
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Westbrook has been in controversies over the past few years because of his massive contract and his style of play. But not a thing off the court. In contrast, Irving is loved for his style but has had some major theatrics outside of basketball. This has put both guards in a situation where teams can’t decide whether they should hire either of them or live with the regret of missing out on them. Shaq seems to have a message for those confused.
Shaquille O’Neal shares a story of the career accolades of Kyrie Irving and Russell Westbrook
Both point guards will be the names to look at during the 2023 free agency. Kyrie Irving ended his season on a low, failing to lead the Mavericks even to the Play-ins. Westbrook on the other hand, boosted the Clippers’ chances of getting out of the 1st round of the Playoffs, with Paul George out, and Kawhi Leonard struggling with injuries.
The heart and rigor that Brodie showed against a Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Chris Paul-led Suns team, got him a lot of praise from fans and experts. That might be the reason why Shaquille O’Neal also came up with a comparison between him and Kyrie on his Instagram story. Take a look at the same in the following Tweet by “tragicpatek.”
With some teams looking to recruit Irving as their primary option and others aiming for Westbrook to help them as a secondary option, this comparison by the TNT analyst might be an eye-opener.
Shaq wanted Brodie to join the Clippers as revenge
Westbrook played a year-and-a-half with the more successful LA team before joining across-the-hall rivals at the trade deadline earlier this year.
Shaq had suggested the 9x All-Star join the Clippers to get back at the Lakers fans. They had been crying to get rid of the future Hall of Famer after his first season with the franchise.
And considering how he played for the Clips in the post-season, Laker Nation must have wondered about the possibility of what could have happened if he stayed.
