SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: Shaquille O'Neal attends 2019 NBA Awards at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/WireImage)Shaquille O’Neal is one of the most-dominant players in NBA history. The Hall of Fame big man won four championships and was named to 15 All-Star Games during his 19-year NBA career.
Now, Shaquille O’Neal is on television, serving as analyst for Turner Sports. The legendary big man does not hesitate to be brutally honest on broadcasts.
Recently, Shaq had some blunt thoughts on Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell.
O’Neal told Mitchell: “you are one of my favorite players but you don’t have what it takes to get to the next level… I said it on purpose because I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?”
Mitchell didn’t have much to say about that, saying just one word in response to O’Neal. The former Lakers star faced some criticism for his comments, but he’s not shying away from being brutally honest.
Now, O’Neal has admitted that during his playing days, he would let four players shoot on purpose because of how much he liked them.
“I could’ve blocked [Iverson’s] shot multiple times, I just didn’t want to,” Shaq said.
.@SHAQ says he used to let these players shoot because he loved their game:
◽️ White Chocolate
◽️ Vince Carter
◽️ Tracy McGrady
◽️ Allen Iverson"I could’ve blocked [Iverson’s] shot multiple times, I just didn’t want to"
(via @AdamLefkoe) pic.twitter.com/o3jLDi4H36
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 21, 2021
None of those players beat O’Neal when it mattered, but it’s still a pretty surprising admission from the legendary big man.
