Shaquille O’Neal and Shannon Sharpe are legends of their respective sports and men of strong opinions as evidenced by their ongoing broadcast careers. After the legendary NBA big man seemingly stepped on Nikola Jokic‘s MVP nod, the former tight end shared some thoughts that sparked a spicy response from The Big Aristotle.
During a segment on Inside The NBA this past Wednesday (May 8), Shaquille O’Neal said to Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokick that he didn’t deserve to win his third Most Valuable Player, which Jokic graciously sidestepped without pushback. Shaq’s favorite for the award, along with several other analysts, was Oklahoma City Thunder superstar guard, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Shannon Sharpe and Chad OchoCinco joined together for their Nightcap broadcast where Sharpe, who is a three-time Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens and a Football Hall of Fame inductee, pushed back at Shaq speaking ill of another player’s greatness. During the segment on Jokic, Sharpe suggested that Shaq didn’t want to praise the Serbian big man as he’s won the MVP title three times out of the past four years, with the Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid winning in that timespan.
Shaq caught wind of Sharpe’s words and went a fiery Instagram rant that some felt went overboard.
From IG:
you took me sticking up @shai ask jealousy of joker. shows how smart you are and how you say anything to get clicks. so here’s some click bait for you. if you ain’t ranked in the top ten in your profession , then you can’t speak on Me. don’t forget i know what you did to get were you at. me jealous, sounds like you jealous. i kno you tryna stay relevant by gossiping on your podcast. we don’t believe you. you need more people and in case you forgot. 4 rings three finals Mvp top 50 and top 75. google me. and to b quite frank all this new success you got, you still under me. u don’t kno my work ethic. but according i work less than you but im worth more than you. make it make sense. love you to. if you need help making money it’s better ways than gossiping. i’m to old for this shit love always the most dominant big man ever who never took it serious. remember i don’t know you. and in the words of @skipbayless im better than you. #g14classification i have it, you don’t, not in my profession. and your goat debate , never wanted to be the goat i wanted to be who you should greet me as THE MOST DOMINANT EVER. #theapexpredator
Sharpe, never one to back away from anyone, fired back at Shaq but didn’t return the vitriol. Instead, Unc Shannon spoke in a measured tone, expressed humility, and explained that he’s never declared himself the best in his position despite the accolades and honors he’s earned. He even deferred to other tight ends in the league.
Keep scrolling to see Shannon Sharpe replying to Shaquille O’Neal and reactions from X, formerly Twitter, below.
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Photo: Getty