“You were worth $300 million, unlike big men today, Shaquille O’Neal!”: Kenny Smith comes out with SHOCKING take on how much guards and big men deserve to earn in the NBA

Nithin Joseph | 06/07/2022
"You were worth $300 million, unlike big men today, Shaquille O'Neal!": Kenny Smith comes out with SHOCKING take on how much guards and big men deserve to earn in the NBA

Shaquille O’Neal believes that big men deserve to be paid just as much as guards. However, Kenny Smith claims not every ‘big’ can be Shaq!

In 1992 the Orlando Magic drafted one of the most if not the most dominant player in NBA history with Shaquille O’Neal. A man who would go on to become an MVP and four-time NBA Champion.

The 7’1 Center out of LSU was a physical specimen. Breaking hoops and shattering backboards as a rookie.

His ability to bully players in the paint and his elite finishing at the rim earned him a whopping $300 million in his 19 seasons as a professional basketball player!

Also Read: Kobe Bryant was worth $600 million but deeply regretted not going undefeated in 2002 NBA playoffs with Shaquille O’Neal

He truly is one of the greatest to ever play that position, and he feels quality big men are now underpaid. However, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith disagrees.

Kenny Smith claims that big men don’t get paid as much as guards in the modern NBA because they aren’t anomalies like Shaquille O’Neal

The 2022 version of the NBA has completely evolved into a guard’s game. The rules, style of play, and big money contracts now revolve around the smaller players.

Big men like David Robinson, Patrick Ewing, and Hakeem Olajuwon have been replaced by the likes of Steph Curry, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.

This has been brought to the attention of the basketball world by Shaquille O’Neal. He feels the ‘big man’ should be paid just as much as a guard. However, Kenny Smith had to remind him that not everyone is an anomaly like him.

The Jet got it right with this one. Like it or not the NBA is a guard’s game and does not have big men like Shaq anymore.

Also Read: “Role player? You were rolling through cities, Shaq!” : When Charles Barkley had no chill roasting Shaquille O’Neal on Inside the NBA

Post Edited By: Tonoy Sengupta
Kenny Smith Shaquille O' Neal

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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