In the early 2000s, Shaquille O’Neal was perhaps the best player in the NBA. A dominant force, there was nothing that could really stop Shaq from asserting himself in a game. However, in 2004, after a narrow 84-83 win over the Raptors, the Big Diesel was livid. Why? Because he had probably met the one group that could stop him in the league.
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Following the game, Shaq, in his post-game interview, called out the NBA officials. He was furious and did not care for their officiating in the game, blasting them for the same. He exclaimed that the referees were trying to make the game all about them when in reality people pay to watch him and the other superstars play.
“People pay good money to come watch these athletes pay and the referees try to take over the f****n game,” said Shaq.
It was a bold statement from the four-time NBA Champion and one that he went on to regret. After making those comments, Shaq quickly backtracked a few days later. He apologized for the same, claiming he made them in the heat of the moment.
“My comments were made out of frustration in the heat of the moment,” said O’Neal.
He certainly seemed to mean it, but it was all for naught. He was promptly handed a fine of $250,000 and was suspended one game without pay. This means he essentially lost $295,000 thanks to his words.
Shaquille O’Neal calls out referees for their poor officiating even to this day
Despite having been fined all those years ago, Shaquille O’Neal hasn’t stopped calling out referees. Now that he is out of the league, he doesn’t hesitate to call out poor officiating when he sees it. And, most recently, he did so following Giannis Antetokounmpo’s ludicrous ejection against the Detroit Pistons.
Sharing Stephen A. Smith’s comments on Instagram, it would seem Shaq agrees with the First Take host’s assessment. An assessment, that is eerily similar to what he said all those years ago. In other words, who is paying to watch the referees play?
Clearly, the Big Aristotle hasn’t given up his habit of scrutinizing referees. In fact, he went a step further on Big Podcast, when he claimed that only Michael Jordan, Karl Malone, and his good friend Charles Barkley got away with criticizing referees. It’s unlikely that Shaq is going to stop anytime soon, especially if the bad officiating continues.
