In a fun segment on the NBA on TNT‘s Instagram page, the Phoenix Suns’ star players were asked an interesting question. Who will they pick from the hosts of the show if they had to go on a road trip with one? To no one’s surprise, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, and Jusuf Nurkic, all chose Shaquille O’Neal. On the other hand, Kevin Durant picked Ernie Johnson Jr., snubbing both Shaq and Charles Barkley.
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Well, KD not picking Barkley makes sense, given the past beef between the two. After the Suns and KD’s last season ended with a loss to the 2023 NBA champs Denver Nuggets, Chuck once again called out KD for being a “bus rider” of the team and not the “bus driver”. KD also responded back on social media sharing a photo of Chuck with his superstar Houston Rockets teammates.
Shaquille O’Neal is everyone’s favorite road trip buddy except for KD
In the video mentioned before, the interviewer’s intriguing question prompted interesting answers from the the Phoenix Suns’ star players. Everybody, apart from Durant, picked the 7 ft 1″ Lakers legend-turned-DJ, Shaquille O’Neal, as their preferred partner in crime, and for obvious reasons. Jusuf Nurkic was very clear in his head,
“I gotta pick Shaq man, he is my guy”
Then Bradley Beal, in line with Nurkic, also picked Shaq,
“I going with Big Shaq because I know Shaq got music. You need good music to make the trip last and survive. And well, he is been around the world so he gotta show me some things. He take me under his wing.”
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Going by his DJ skills and dynamic personality, it is a no-brainer that Shaq is everyone’s favorite to go on a road trip with. Booker also gave the same reason for choosing Shaq, “Shaq got the DJing down and he’s bringing the crowd out.” D-Book also mentioned that he has been to a Shaq set before and absolutely loved it. Surprisingly, KD had a different choice. He picked Ernie for the simple reason that, “he looks more responsible”.
As a result, Shaq emerged as the clear winner, and the bass head has earned this given his successful career as a DJ at the age of 51. Months back, he also revealed the massive crowd that had gathered to listen to his music at his first music festival in Texas.
Clearly, DJ Diesel is famous for his music among NBA stars like Booker. Not just Book, but Shaq also complimented the Suns’ shooting guard after his game last season.
Shaq apologizes to Booker for underestimating him
After Game 4 of the Western Conference Semi-finals last season, the Suns tied the series 2-2 as they looked for a comeback. While the Nuggets emerged as the ultimate champion in the Western Conference, Booker got some appreciation from the big fella for playing his part.
After the game, Shaq apologized to Book for saying on live TV that he could never go 20-25 again. However, the Suns guard took his team to victory with 14-18 field goals scored. Shaq praised Devin for his skills on the court, admitting that he “loves the way” Book plays.
It seems like the feeling of appreciation is mutual between the two NBA stars. It is always great to see such respect amongst players.
