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“Russell Westbrook may not have a championship but you can’t tell me he isn’t one of the greatest point guards ever”: Shaquille O’Neal defends the Brody after Stephen A Smith’s criticism

Tonoy Sengupta
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"Russell Westbrook may not have a championship but you can't tell me he isn't one of the greatest point guards ever": Shaquille O'Neal defends the Brody after Stephen A Smith's criticism

NBA great Shaquille O’Neal weighs in on Stephen A. Smith’s harsh comments about former Thunder superstar Russell Westbrook.

After a rough start to the season, the Washington Wizards have finally started to find their groove. Russell Westbrook especially looks rejuvenated and even made history very recently.

In the Wizard’s game against the Indiana Pacers, Westbrook performed magnificently. The 32-year-old had 35 points and 21 assists by the end of the game, something that had never been done before.

But despite the NBA community praising the player for making history, ESPN analyst Stephen. A. Smith instead questioned his lack of a ring so far in his career.

There have been several reactions from a host of parties since. And it seems that NBA great Shaquille O’Neal has felt the need to come forward with his two cents on the matter as well.

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Shaquille O’Neal defends Russell Westbrook against comments made by Stephen A. Smith

Shaquille O’Neal as an analyst can be pretty hit or miss at times. However, his thoughts on the situation here may just be something that the NBA community unanimously agrees with.

“A lot of people say certain things, that’s just the unfortunate part. When you’re a great player…people are always going to say, ‘but do you have a championship?’”

The Lakers legend continued on the matter.

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“If you don’t get a championship, that’s not a knock. You can’t tell me Allen Iverson is not one of the greatest point guards (of all time). You can’t tell me John Stockton is not one of the greatest…you can’t tell me Karl Malone and Charles Barkley is not one of the greatest power forwards of all time. That’s just the unfortunate thing.”

Shaq further goes on to talk about how he and Dwayne Wade had to deal with a similar situation early in their career. And overall, defends Russell Westbrook completely, calling him a great player.

Most agree that Stephen A. Smith’s comments were a tad too harsh. And with Shaquille O’Neal now implying at the same as well, the ESPN analyst may just have to be a bit more careful about what he says on national television. Or maybe not, the man is a drama queen.

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

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Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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