“They Are Gated Community Gangsters”: Shaquille O’Neal Aggressively Roasts LeBron James and Co. for Their Poor Start

Shaquille O’Neal, who is a former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, criticized LeBron James and his gold and purple for their terrible start.

Shaquille O’Neal is one Lakers’ most legendary players. Along with Kobe Bryant, he carried the franchise to three prized championships. The only three-peat since the 2000s.

So, it’s safe to say that Shaq is deeply invested in his former squad and he is not liking their season start. Their recent ‘struggles’ have irked the big man. He has questioned their competitiveness and their shooting.

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Shaquille O’Neal lashed out at LeBron James’ Lakers

While on ‘The Big Podcast,’ O’Neal took note of Lakers two-game losing streak. He lashed out at the squad for their poor shooting.

Actually, no, Shaquille O’Neal did not just lash out at the gold and purple. He ridiculed them for their season debut against the Warriors. In that game, the Lakers shot 10 of their 40 three-point attempts.

Shaq: “They’re like a community where I lived. They have no shooters. The Gated Community Gangsters, they have no shooters. I can leave my door open, I can walk around in my underwear.”

(via Big Shaq Podcast, https://t.co/BmZZnOhjtV) pic.twitter.com/fleDCbaMm3

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 22, 2022

Shaq’s mocking is justified by all means. He is accurate with his analogy. The Lakers do seem to be a team with no shooters. Their performance and humbling loss on October 18 precisely pinpointed their weakness.

In that game, only Kendrick Nunn had a good night from beyond the three-point line. He made three of his six attempts. LeBron James on the other hand made the same number of threes but attempted 10. The combined team shot just 25% from the arc.

Los Angeles Lakers are in for a difficult season ahead

Darvin Ham has finally received the keys to the sinking ship that is the current Lakers. As if last season wasn’t enough of a wake-up call, they have started this one on a horrible note.

They lost two continuous games, first to the Warriors and then to the Clippers. In a repeat performance of their season debut game, Lakers landed 9 of their 45 attempts from the beyond the arc. That’s an abysmal 20% shooting from the 3-pt line.

Clippers’ defense bested the Lakers’ offense. The gap was so wide that even after an impressive defensive performance, Lakers couldn’t catch up. Gold and purples made just 35.1% of their field goals while Clippers made 46.3%.

Shaquille O’Neal is precise with his words. And though his delivery was full of humor, we mustn’t disregard the truth in it. Lakers need to reassess their squad and Darvin Ham had to take tough decisions.

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