Shaquille O’Neal takes a dig at superstar Kevin Durant following Charles Barkley’s statement on the Brooklyn Nets forward
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Shaquille O’Neal is one of the biggest names in the NBA world. He has done pretty much everything possible on the court.
A 4-time NBA champion, Shaq was one of the most dominant players in the 90s and early 2000s. His combination with Kobe Bryant may very well be the most lethal duo in league history.
But Shaq, post his retirement, has donned many roles. The most prominent of them is his stint with Inside the NBA.
Along with Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, and Charles Barkley, O’Neal dissects games and players in the postgame show during the season.
Shaq, owing to his success in the league, gives his unabashed opinions. He is unapologetically honest with his claims. Meanwhile, Chuck, Shaq’s partner in crime, isn’t any different.
It’s amusing to watch them take on some of the biggest names in the basketball world and give out scathing judgments. Judgments that at times lead to very public beefs.
This time around, the beef is with Kevin Durant. The two-time NBA champion has, after a dramatic whirlwind worthy of Mexican soap opera, agreed to stay with the Nets.
Following the chaos that ensued, Barkley took shots at Durant and his championships.
Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley question Kevin Durant’s legacy
The Brooklyn Nets, quite frankly, imploded last season. The Kyrie Irving saga damaged the franchise more than they could have predicted.
Not only did Kyrie’s refusal to get vaccinated cost him 53 games but also cost the team James Harden. Now a guard with the Philadelphia 76ers, Harden’s reasons for parting ways with Nets included Kyrie’s ‘selfish decision.’
In return for The Beard, Brooklyn received Ben Simmons and Seth Curry. Not a bad deal considering Nets’ continuing defensive woes. However, his inability to play the playoff series against the Boston Celtics cost the team a championship campaign.
In the off-season, Durant made headlines after reports that the 6’10” superstar wanted to leave the team. From there, things only escalated and soon everyone was questioning KD’s worth and legacy.
Sir Charles was quick to go after the Slim Ripper.
Barkley: “He get mad when we say it, he piggyback on the Warriors to win his first two championships, but if you go back and look at his career, as the best player and being a leader that all goes with that, he’s been an abject failure.”
Later, while on his own ‘The Big Podcast,’ Shaq backed Barkley’s claim. He enunciated the impact of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson on KD’s two rings.
Shaq: “If you go back and look at his career as a best player being the leader, all goes with that too. We were all there. We saw OKC up 3-1. One more game and when you’re the guy, all the pressure goes on you. A lot of people was talking about the bus driver. Chuck was absolutely right. He was not driving the bus in Golden State. You were on the bus. You were sitting up front.”
KD, who is an Instagram aficionado if we may, handles criticism in his own way. Well, his own way is basically interacting with trolls on Twitter.
Yet, it cannot be denied that Durant is one of the best players in the league. He is an offensive force like none other. But it’s also true that he has remained rather unsuccessful in his career barring his stint with the Golden State Warriors.
What do you think of Barkley and Shaq’s attack on Durant?
