The sports world now officially has a new beef between Shannon Sharpe and Shaquille O’Neill after the duo exchanged some war of words. It all started when the NBA legend expressed his dissatisfaction with Nikola Jokić winning the regular-season MVP, arguing that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have received the honor. This led to Sharpe calling out the former Celtic man for his petty behaviors, asserting that the big man is jealous, and not only claiming that he isn’t in the GOAT conversation but also labeling him lazy.
In response, Shaq took to Instagram with a lengthy post, calling the 3-time Super Bowl ‘joker’ and several other colorful things. He even quipped that Sharpe is trying to stay relevant by gossiping on his podcast.
Sharpe stumbled upon this post unexpectedly during the live airing of the latest episode of Nightcap. The former NFL star, however, tried to remain composed in his response, stating that while he knows he wasn’t the best in his position, he achieved everything because of his work ethic. He then added that Shaq whines when someone wins an MVP and doesn’t like giving credit where it’s due.
However, unlike the 4-time NBA champion, Shannon Sharpe has qualms about giving credit. He knows Kelce, Gronk, Gates, and Tony G are all better Tight Ends than him, and he doesn’t mind acknowledging that because he made the most of his talent.
He had discipline and commitment, and he took care of his body to make the most of his abilities. Unlike O’Neill, he maximized his potential and gave everything he had, and no one can ever question that.
“I never professed that I was the greatest shot. But what I will say — I got what I got because I worked by a** off,” Sharpe said. “Now you guys have heard me speak glowingly. I say Travis Kelce is a better TE than I was, so was Gronk, Antonio Gates, Gonzo, etc. I got no problem. You know why? Because I got everything out of my God-given ability. God gave me the ability to do what I could do, but he gave me discipline, dedication, the way I trained, ate, etc. I never half-a**ed it.”
The ex-Broncos man also stressed that while Shaq can take shots at him for speaking facts, deep down he knows the truth.
Shannon Sharpe Asserts Shaq Knows the Truth Deep Down
Sharpe accepts that Shaquille O’Neal was the most dominant big man in NBA history, but at the same time, he believes that he failed to live up to his potential. Is it the question Big Diesel should ask himself as to why that happened?
Shannon said the argument and debate are pointless as both of them are retired, but the 4-time NBA winner knows the truth that he should have been in the argument for the GOAT and a top-five player of all time.
Being the most dominant Center, he should have won more than just one regular-season MVP. Saying Shaq didn’t work hard enough, ate right, or cheated himself are just facts, something the big man has acknowledged himself in the past.
“Shaq knows deep down, and he could take all the shots. Yeah, you got more money, you’re more famous, you’re more well known, you’re going to have more money than I will ever have. But nobody will ever say I was lazy, or I cheated myself. Yes, you were great, but you know deep down, you should be in the top five, not top 10, because you just said — you were most dominant,” Sharpe said.
Shaq has voiced his point of view, and Sharpe has responded in kind; however, it will be interesting to see if this unexpected rivalry escalates any further.
