Shaquille O’Neal was a bit unnecessarily petty this weekend.
The retired Hall of Famer O’Neal went viral a few days ago for saying he had never heard of new Los Angeles Lakers forward Rui Hachimura, who came from the Washington Wizards. O’Neal’s reasoning was that he does not watch small-market NBA teams.
The comments were not too well-received, particularly since O’Neal is a paid basketball analyst and one of the more prominent voices in NBA media. One of those who reacted to O’Neal’s remarks was Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant, who tweeted in response, “Shaquille doesn’t know ball?”
Shaquille doesn’t know ball? https://t.co/UPoBbOeG8g
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 28, 2023
That apparently bothered O’Neal, who fired back at Durant in a savage tweet of his own. O’Neal went after Durant over Durant’s thinning hair and made a reference to TNT co-host Charles Barkley’s comments that Durant was a “bus rider” (rather than a “bus driver”) for his championship victories.
“i don’t kno ball, but i kno how to brush my hair,or decide to cut it when i was going bald,” O’Neal wrote. “love always THE BUS DRIVER.”
i don’t kno ball, but i kno how to brush my hair,or decide to cut it when i was going bald. love always THE BUS DRIVER
— SHAQ (@SHAQ) January 28, 2023
Durant replied back to O’Neal, writing, “Damn, I got cooked for asking a simple question.”
Damn, I got cooked for asking a simple question.
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 28, 2023
The former MVP Durant really appears to have struck a nerve with O’Neal there. In addition to Durant (correctly) pointing out that O’Neal probably doesn’t know much about today’s NBA if he only follows the most popular teams, the two men have clashed in the media many times before.
