Shaquille O’Neal Unloads on Modern NBA Stars for Ruining Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant’s Efforts

Michael Jordan and Kobe are legends who dominated the NBA during their career. Moreover, apart from that, they dominated the endorsements, sponsorships, and wages surrounding the league during their time. Shaquille O’Neal is another former NBA star who made a lot of money during his time as a player. Shaq now feels that current players need to perform in order to follow these superstars’ footsteps.

NBA has evolved a lot over the last few decades. Many credit Michael Jordan for popularizing the league and bringing in money. The likes of Julius Erving, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, among others, also helped in globalizing the game of basketball.

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal took the sponsorships to another level. Both made a lot of money in their career and made investments that reaped benefits. Kobe and Shaq’s net worth is the biggest among sportspersons. However, if the league is popular and continues to grow, it would continue to bring in money through sponsorships and broadcasting. Shaq, in his recent podcast, explained the same that current players need to perform to continue making the money.

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Shaquille O’Neal advises current NBA stars to continue performing

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal recently hosted the latest episode on his ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq‘. During the podcast, he explained how former legends, such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, brought the money to the league. Shaq then said (4-minute mark) that modern NBA stars need to take the baton and continue performing.

“Do you know why I’m mad? I’m gonna tell you why I’m mad,” Shaq said when asked why he was mad at the All-Star ceremony.

Shaq continued: “Dr. J started. He passed to Magic. Then Magic and Bird. Then Mike took it, then Shaq took it. Shaq and Kobe took it. Kobe took it by himself. Shaq and D Wade took it. You guys, gonna miss the money if you don’t perform. You see how good the money is? People pay a lot of money to the All-Star game. If you gonna enter the contest, bring it. You have to make the first dunk. You have to.” 

The Slam Dunk contest at the All-Star ceremony in Cleveland failed to live up to the expectations this time. The likes of Cole Anthony, Jalen Green, Obi Toppin, and Juan Toscano-Anderson fought in the slam dunk challenge last month.

Obi and Toscano-Anderson managed to reach the finals. Toscano Anderson failed to complete any of his attempts in the 2nd run, which handed Obi Toppin the crown. The worse part was Obi Toppin winning it with a layup. Yes, a regular layup won the Slam Dunk contest. The All-Star event also included the 75th-anniversary ceremony, which managed to attract the eyeballs of fans during the weekend.

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