Shaq responds to criticism that he is a ‘hater’

Shaquille O’Neal might as well be known as Silky Johnson with the amount of player-hating that he does. Now he is responding to those who criticize him for doing so.

In a recent episode of his show “The Big Podcast With Shaq,” O’Neal took some time to address the “hater” label that he has gotten for his harsh analysis of today’s players.

“A lot of people think I’m a hater or whatever,” said O’Neal. “It’s not that I’m a hater. It’s just that I’ve seen real greatness. If you not equal or above that, you get no props from me.”

The retired Basketball Hall of Famer O’Neal was indeed one of the greatest centers in league history. But as an analyst, he is notorious for being hard on modern-day stars, especially the big men. One current player even explicitly called O’Neal a hater.

O’Neal maintains that he is simply trying to push the players he criticizes to be truly great. To his credit, O’Neal did recently give one current star some major props for his success. But there may be more to O’Neal’s “hating,” as he once admitted that he is jealous of today’s players for one big reason.

H/T Lakers Daily

Photo: Mar 10, 2017; Atlanta, GA, USA; NBA former player Shaquille O’Neal watches a game between the Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors in the third quarter at Philips Arena. The Hawks won 105-99. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports