“Shaq and Kobe, Michael Jordan And Pippen”: Shaquille O’Neal Echoes Fan’s Opinion on Wanting Shannon Sharpe on First Take with Stephen A. Smith

Shaquille O’Neal has always been an informed man on most things in the NBA. However, only recently has he start using social media sparingly to reveal his unfiltered thoughts to his fans. Whether it be about the NBA or the world at large, Shaq has been pretty active in sharing relevant things on his Instagram stories. After Shannon Sharpe’s contract was bought out by Fox Sports prior to his exit from ‘Undisputed’, the Lakers legend joined in with fans to speculate about Sharpe’s next destination.

Fans haven’t been the only ones to speculate where Sharpe will go next. ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith himself announced that he expects to be working with the former FS1 analyst very soon. However, in a rather bold decision, Smith made this announcement while wearing a sleeveless jumper, as you can see in his Instagram post.

 

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A post shared by Stephen A. Smith (@stephenasmith)

Unfortunately for the analyst, this immediately brought on a scathing roast from O’Neal about his arms, and how ‘little’ they are.

Shaquille O’Neal shares fan’s take on Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith teaming up on ESPN’s ‘First Take’

Unlike his former partner Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe is widely beloved by NBA fans. Stephen A. Smith, while having his set of controversies, has a similar kind of reputation.

The ESPN analyst has already announced his intentions to the world about having Sharpe on his show. He even spoke about how he believes ESPN’s acquisition of the analyst will be announced publicly before long. Predictably, this has only added to the excitement amongst NBA fans.

A person from this faction of fans, Instagram user ‘lsgsports’, posted about the potential team-up, making points that Shaq completely agreed with, as referenced by his Instagram story. Take a look at the post, and the tweet by tragicpatek below.

 

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A post shared by Legendary Sports Group (@lsgsports)

Shaq on the Shannon and Stephen A debate pic.twitter.com/nWsyzEN0Bm

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) July 23, 2023

“Yeah! (Stephen A Smith and Shannon Sharpe) is what the streets want! I’m talking top duo. I’m talking Shaq and Kobe. I’m talking [Michael] Jordan and Pippen!”

As you might expect, there is some exaggeration at play here. However, a team-up between these two analysts would indeed be among the most entertaining in sports television history. The energy they bring to every show ensures it. And if the ESPN analyst’s words on the matter are indeed true, it shouldn’t be long before fans see Sharpe as a contributor on ESPN’s ‘First Take’.

Why did Shannon Sharpe leave Undisputed?

After 7 long years with Undisputed, Shannon Sharpe decided to quit the FS1 show. The relationship between Skip and Shannon had been deteriorating for the past few months, aided by the 71-year-old analyst’s rather uncouth antics. However, Skip accusing Shannon of being jealous of Tom Brady’s career was the straw that broke the camel’s back.

Now fans wait to see how Shannon’s chemistry with Stephen A. turns out to be.