“Shaquille O’Neal Wasn’t in His Prime Anymore”: Stephen A. Smith’s Hot Take Appraising Dwyane Wade’s First Championship Infuriates Fans

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith delivered his take on the 2006 NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. He claimed that despite a 33-year old Shaquille O’Neal’s presence, it was Dwyane Wade who was the star man behind the Heat’s winning run. Smith said that Shaquille O’Neal was already past his prime, something that has been met with considerable heat on Twitter. The initial tweet was shared by NBA Central on the social media platform.

Stephen A. Smith was responding to Jeff Teague’s recent claim that James Harden is a better player than Dwyane Wade. Teague had claimed that Wade had the likes of LeBron James and Shaq to help him win his rings, according to Sports Illustrated. Smith’s response ended up as a diss towards O’Neal, who was the only other All-Star on the Heat roster.

Stephen A. Smith Hits Back at Claims About Dwyane Wade and James Harden

James Harden is one of the most gifted offensive players the NBA has ever seen. Despite the former Rockets still looking for his first championship, he has an MVP award, an achievement that eluded Wade despite a hugely successful career.

Teague had argued that Wade’s rings were a result of the help he got, first from Shaq, and then LeBron James. However, Smith pointed out how it was actually Wade who was the obvious star on the team.

Wade averaged 24.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the 6 Finals games. On the other hand, Shaq contributed with 13.7 points and 10.2 rebounds during the stretch. Smith said that even Alonzo Mourning was feared more than Shaq during this time:

“Shaq wasn’t in his prime anymore; it was D-Wade who delivered that championship against the Dallas Mavericks. At that particular point, Alonzo Mourning was feared more than Shaquille O’Neal.”

Still, the reaction was not met well by a number of fans. One user claimed that Smith was delusional.

Another claimed that while Wade might have done the heavy lifting, they still wouldn’t have won the championship without Shaq:

Stephen A. Smith Once Had a Hilarious Interaction With Shaquille O’Neal

Two of the funniest NBA analysts around, Stephen A. Smith and O’Neal actually have a friendly relationship. Around four years ago, Shaq had prank-called Smith’s radio show to make fun of his cowboy hat.

Shaq introduced himself as Tex Johnson and proceeded to hilariously mock Stephen A. Smith. Smith was caught off-guard but hilariously reiterated that he could do “whatever he wanted on his show.”

Hence, there is no bad blood between the two, and Smith’s statement about Shaq and Wade was aimed at exposing the contributions of the latter. Regardless of how one sees it, there is little doubt that both were important to the Heat’s championship-winning run in 2006. O’Neal was also a major contributor and averaged 20 points and 9.2 rebounds in the regular season.