The latest chapter in the case of Shaquille O’Neal vs. Current NBA Players has the Hall of Famer attempting to shut down Kevin Durant is a weird one.
Durant, as you’ll recall, blasted O’Neal last month regarding his treatment of Golden State Warriors teammate JaVale McGee that eventually turned into a nasty war of words
A recap:
“I UNDERSTAND SHAQ WORKS FOR A COMPANY THAT WANTS HIM TO DO THAT TYPE OF STUFF AND MAKE FUN OF PLAYERS. AND IT’S COOL AND FUNNY, BUT WHEN YOU JUST KEEP DOING IT TIME AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN FOR NO REASON, AND THEN A GUY ACTUALLY DISAGREES YOU AND YOU THREATEN HIM … I DIDN’T KNOW COPS COULD THREATEN CIVILIANS LIKE THAT. SO IT’S DEFINITELY CHILDISH. BUT THAT’S WHAT THEY WANT FROM THESE STARS AND THESE RETIRED PLAYERS — TO FEUD WITH THE GUYS THAT’S PLAYING NOW AND TO MAKE ARGUMENTS AND DISAGREEMENTS. BUT IF I WAS JAVALE, I’D FEEL THE SAME WAY. IT’S CHILDISH.”
O’Neal came back and said this to Sports Illustrated:
“KD DOESN’T HAVE G–14 CLASSIFICATION,” O’NEAL TOLD THE CROSSOVER, REFERRING TO HIS OFT-MENTIONED “UNWRITTEN” DESIGNATION THAT APPLIES TO PLAYERS WHO HAVE WON TITLES. “HE CAN’T TALK TO ME LIKE THAT. HE MAY THINK HE DOES, AND HE’S STICKING UP FOR HIS TEAMMATE. HE’S A GREAT PLAYER, BUT YOU AIN’T IN THE CLUB YET. YOU’RE ON THE OUTSIDE IN LINE WITH [CHARLES] BARKLEY, [KARL] MALONE AND [JOHN] STOCKTON. YOU’RE NOT IN THE CLUB WITH ME AND THOSE [CHAMPIONSHIP] GUYS. THAT’S WHY I TWEETED HIM, ‘MIND YA BUSINESS.’” …
“LEBRON HAS A LOT OF CLEARANCE BECAUSE HE’S WON CHAMPIONSHIPS,” O’NEAL SAID. “BUT WHEN A GUY WHO HASN’T WON CHAMPIONSHIPS MAKES COMMENTS, YOU SAY, ‘HOW DO YOU KNOW?’ … [DURANT] WAS JUST TRYING TO STICK UP FOR HIS TEAMMATE. IF YOU READ INTO WHAT HE SAID, NONE OF HIS [EXPLETIVE] MADE SENSE. WELL, ACTUALLY SOME OF IT MADE SENSE. HE SAID I WAS STRONG AND I BULLIED PEOPLE. OF COURSE, THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I DID. I’M NOT GOING TO GO SHOOT JUMPERS AND DO ALL OF THAT.
“JUST PUT IT THIS WAY: THE LEAGUE IS SOFT AND THESE GUYS ARE SENSITIVE, PERIOD. I WAS SENSITIVE [AS A PLAYER] TOO BUT I NEVER WENT BACK AT [OLDER PLAYERS]. KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR AND WILT CHAMBERLAIN NEVER SAID [EXPLETIVE] TO [SUPPORT] ME. DID I CRY ABOUT IT? NO. KAREEM SAID IN THE PAPER ONE TIME, WHEN THEY ASKED HIM, ‘SHAQ IS DOING GREAT, HE HAS NUMBERS SIMILAR TO YOURS, WHAT DO YOU THINK?’ HIS RESPONSE WAS, ‘WELL, HE HASN’T WON A CHAMPIONSHIP YET.’ I COULD HAVE GONE BACK AT HIM, BUT I DIDN’T. I SUCKED IT UP LIKE A REAL MAN AND WAS LIKE, ‘OK, WATCH THIS.’ A LOT OF GUYS, THESE DAYS, WHEN YOU SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THEM THEY START WHIMPERING AND CRYING.”
Although Durant took this feud to a more general place — noting that retired players create some drama with active ones — Shaq’s comments don’t completely make sense.
This is not about whether a player has won a championship or not. He’s right about one thing: Durant was sticking up for his teammate, because the “Shaqtin’ a Fool” stuff with McGee eventually went too far. There’s no “softness” or “over-sensitivity” to it. Shaq should understand that — his own mother finally told him to leave McGee alone, an indication things had gone over the line.
When it comes to one human defending another, there are no rings necessary, and even trying to shut someone down with “you didn’t win a ring, why should I listen to you?” is ridiculous. As for the NBA as a whole being “soft” and “sensitive”? We’ve heard that one before all around sports and in all leagues, and we all know there will always be a clash between active players and the retired ones who see differences from when they played.
Source: NBAStuff