Shaquille O’Neal is not doing himself any favors with those who see him as an out-of-touch curmudgeon.
O’Neal hilariously embarrassed himself this week during a new segment on TNT’s “Inside the NBA.” The Hall of Fame center was given the last name of a random NBA player and asked to provide their first name. When it came to Knicks rookie Immanuel Quickley, O’Neal guessed that his first name was “Jerrod.” Have a look.
Jerrod Quickley???? SMH Shaq pic.twitter.com/E5mMQm1M0r
— gifdsports (@gifdsports) February 26, 2021
Quickley himself caught wind of the clip and proceeded to roast Shaq on Twitter for the spectacular screw-up.
Comeon @SHAQ “jerrod quickley” @NBAonTNT
— Immanuel Jaylen Quickley (@IQ_GodSon) February 26, 2021
What makes O’Neal’s blunder even worse is that Quickley is far from just an end-of-the-bench scrub. With 12.5 points and 2.5 assists in just 18.9 minutes per game this season, the 21-year-old is having a big impact on the Knicks and easily looks like one of the best rookies from this year’s class.
If it makes Quickley feel any better, O’Neal completely fumbled the bag on a few other players in the segment as well. He referred to Hornets guard Malik Monk as “Eli,” Sacramento center Richaun Holmes as “John,” and Quickley’s Knicks teammate Mitchell Robinson as “Stewart.”
"Do I get a lifeline?"
“Shaq’s First Name Game” went as expected. pic.twitter.com/qMygFgNHax
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 26, 2021
The 48-year-old O’Neal has made abundantly clear that he does not watch very many NBA games these days. When it comes to hating on the players though, few can compete there.
