Shaq still has a personal vendetta against the reporter.
Shaq is one the all-time greatest players in NBA history and back in the early 2000s, he was almost impossible to stop out on the court. It shouldn’t be surprising that he won the MVP trophy during the 2000 season and in the end, he was just one vote away from being the first unanimous MVP in the history the league. Of course, Steph Curry would end up snagging that honor just a few years ago although Shaq seems to be just a tad bit salty about it.
In a new interview with Kristine Leahy FS1, Shaq spoke about missing out on unanimous MVP and how he still remembers the journalist who voted against him. The man’s name is Fred Hickman and he ended up choosing Allen Iverson that season. As you can see from the clip below, Shaq has some issues with Hickman and even called him an “A**hole.”
Shaq is pretty adamant that Hickman is an “idiot” and that he doesn’t know what he is talking about when it comes to basketball. These are some pretty scathing remarks and it’s interesting to see Shaq so passionate about this after all these years. It clearly bothers him despite all the championships and personal accolades he won.
Either way, Shaq always makes for an interesting interview and his answer shows just how consistent he’s been about his values over the years.