“Mat Ishbia Sold The Push”: Shaquille O’Neal Chose Instagram to Call Out Suns Owner for Nikola Jokic Tussle Instead of NBA on TNT

Last night’s game between the Suns and Nuggets saw an unprecedented tussle. Nikola Jokic elbowed Phoenix owner Mat Ishbia for holding onto the ball on the sidelines. After Ishbia’s reaction to the soft elbowing led to an unsportsmanlike technical on the former MVP. The entire NBA community was split after the interaction. While one side demanded stricter punishment for the Joker, the other argued Ishbia was the one at fault. Now Shaquille O’Neal has also picked his side on Instagram. While his co-hosts on the NBA on TNT show already called out the owner for flopping in their latest episode, O’Neal instead chose Instagram to share where he stands on the take.

The league has never before seen such an interaction. While tempers can offer flare, like the time Mark Cuban yelled at JR Smith for an elbow, it rarely results in a player-owner showdown. Things got a little out of hand last night though and Shaq has indirectly declared who’s at fault.

Shaquille O’Neal suggests Mat Ishbia flopped

While Charles Barkley and Ernie Smith defended Nikola Jokic on the latest edition of NBA on TNT, Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t as vocal in support of Nikola. Instead, he shared his honest take on Instagram.

The avid story-sharing Instagram user posted a video from Jordan Schultz’s Instagram account. In it, Schultz had alleged that Ishbia flopped like he got knocked out.

By sharing the story on his Twitter account, the 7ft 1″ Lakers legend is clearly speaking in support of Jokic and agreeing with Jordan that Mat was indeed flopping after that soft elbow shove. One Instagram user posted about Shaq’s story on Twitter and pointed out how Shaq thinks Ishbia was flopping like a pro.

The aftermath of the elbow

Nikola Jokic, in the aftermath of the elbow, was clearly unfazed. He felt his actions were justified and Ishbia was in the wrong. In all fairness, the Phoenix Suns owner did grab the ball first.

After Jokic took the ball from the owner, Ishbia knocked it out of his hands aggressively. Perhaps this is what nudged the 6ft 11″ Serbian to gently shove Mat. In his postgame interview, Jokic repeatedly called Mat a fan and remained confident that the league’s primary role is to protect the players.

Jokic also clarified that the Suns’ owner was trying to influence the game and no ‘fan’ is allowed to influence a game. Therefore, Jokic believes Mat should have been kicked out of the game.