“LeBron James and the Lakers will beat the Suns in the first round”: Shaq-stradamus makes a bizarre prediction, disrespecting Chris Paul and co

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal makes a bold prediction stating if the Lakers make the 8th spot, they will beat the Phoenix Suns.

Now we cannot doubt the greatness or incredible knowledge of Shaquille O’Neal, but he may have gone too far with his recent statements. Having played for the LA Lakers and won three championships and Finals MVPs, we all know the Diesel has a special place for the iconic franchise.

However, the current season might have the possibility of going down as one of the worst in the organization’s history, considering what we expected from them. At the 9th seed, the Lakers are ten games below +500, struggling to keep afloat for the play-in tournament.

The injury-prone nature of Anthony Davis, Russell Westbrook’s unsatisfactory performances, and superstars being past their prime are some of the factors for the team’s poor showing this season. Nonetheless, LeBron James continues to impress, breaking new records in almost every game.

Also read: “LeBron James? GOAT? He wasn’t even in the dunk contest, unlike Michael Jordan!”: Skip Bayless rips into Lakers star for his utter lack of dunk contest championships

During a recent episode of the Big Podcast with Shaq, the Big Diesel made a sensational claim, stating the Lakers will beat the Suns, if they manage to clinch the 8th spot.

Shaqstradamus makes a bold prediction.

Despite everyone writing the Lakers off, Shaq continues to believe in his former team. However, he may have gone too far with his recent statements. Though not intentionally, the four-time champion seems to have shown the first seed Phoenix Suns some disrespect.

Shaq acknowledges that the Lakers Nation got too excited on hearing about the likes of Westbrook and Carmelo Anthony joining the purple and gold, forgetting they had a lot of miles on their legs by now. O’Neal doubts them even making the play-in.

At the same time, if they clinch the 8th seed, Shaq is confident they will beat the Suns.

“I’m disappointed in my Lakers,” said Shaq. “We all forgot about their ages. ‘Ooh, Westbrook’s coming. Ooh, they got Carmelo.’ We’re used to having team with big-name stars on them. So, you got a team with three Hall of Famers you would think they’d be in six or seven.”

“If they make if to the eighth spot, they will beat Phoenix” 👀@SHAQ talks Lakers’ playoff hopes on #TheBigPodcast: https://t.co/cjvFFep0RP pic.twitter.com/UdHjerZqt4

— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) March 23, 2022

“AD’s not playing so, I doubt they even make the Play-In game. But if they do, they definitely have to win and they will face Phoenix in the first round. If they make it to the eighth spot they will beat Phoenix. Yeah, you heard me. Cause AD gonna be back. Shaqtradamus will be correct.”

There is no denying the talent on the Lakers roster. However, it seems a mammoth task for them to turn things around at this stage. On the other hand, the Suns are playing well consistently despite not having their leader Chris Paul, who is out with an injury.

Also read: “LeBron James went home to Cleveland and reminded everyone why he is the King!”: Magic Johnson heaps praise on Lakers’ superstar as he drops a 38-point triple-double for win over Kevin Love and the Cavs

It will be interesting to see the reactions coming in on Shaq’s recent statements, especially with Twitter going into a tizzy.