“This is my fear for Joel Embiid. When you say things like that, you’re supposed to come out with extra energy… Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and attitude right,” said Shaquille O’Neal after Joel Embiid’s lone performance this season. There have been issues around The Process in the last few months, following the viral media reporter fiasco that got personal, where he shoved a columnist, amidst other injury troubles. So, fans get irked at his productivity numbers and they voice it out.

And now, Big Diesel appeared on the Dan Patrick Show to speak out. It’s a similar pattern to what he thinks he did with Nikola Jokic last year. In the previous season, the Serbian center won his 3rd MVP award for literally becoming the best player in the league. He had a tough rival, though, in Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who put up a stunning 30.1 points per game season.

However, the controversy came when Shaq acknowledged Jokic but later said, “I want to congratulate you, but I want you to hear it from me first. I thought that SGA [Gilgeous-Alexander] should have been the MVP. That’s no disrespect to you.” Joker, of course, didn’t care much about it, as he handled it gracefully. But fans didn’t like Shaq’s opinion, and he took to his old tunes with Embiid.

“Because he has so much potential and I love all the big man. As you can see from shooting all the 3s, the big man is, you know, starting to slide away enter into their atmosphere,” mentioned Shaq. The 3-point shooting has taken the league by storm considering the amount of threes going in. He wants the big man to play like a big man. Play hard in the paint and create spaces for teammates with their post-play. But after addressing the Joel Embiid issue, he credited Nikola Jokic for becoming the best big man in the league.

“When I look at Joker and how he plays, this is why he’s the best big man in the league. The Joker is balling. Nothing but respect for him. I don’t know if he got mad at me last year, but when I said that I think, Shai deserved the MVP. But I actually hope he is mad because I love the way he’s playing,” said Shaq. He’s at it again, isn’t he? But it might backfire with Joel Embiid now.

Shaquille O’Neal tries to rile up Joel Embiid by a similar Nikola Jokic route

If Embiid’s listening, the big man has to buckle up for obvious reasons. The Philadelphia 76ers got Paul George into the side, to contend for the championship. Apart from challenging, though, they are doing everything else. With a record of 2-9, Embiid needs to get fit or risk losing another chance to win the NBA title. According to Shaq, he shouldn’t be taking a lot of three-pointers.

He detailed how Victor Wembanyama took 3s and has always believed the NBA’s viewership declines rapidly because of the barrage of 3s and the lack of a ‘differential’ strategy to win. Big Diesel wants the big man to “get a lot of room inside, then step out to open it back up. So, I just see a lot of potential in him and hopefully, he gets upset with what I am saying and he turns around.”

In all fairness, Shaq believes his words of wisdom could turn around players’ careers. There are two sides to a coin. Either Shaq believes these players get inspired when he criticizes, which gets them going. Or, the players don’t listen to him at all! He followed the same ritual with Jokic, who looks like he’s got something to prove. But does he want to prove Shaq wrong or right? We don’t think so.

Now, will this work with Joel Embiid? If he desires to win the title, the 76ers big man needs to up his game, regardless. But most fans believe Shaq had nothing to do with Jokic’s performance, as the Serb had stated earlier, “Thank you, Shaq, we don’t judge people here. That’s fine, it’s your opinion. I’m joking.” It certainly became a mic-drop moment.

The situation is pretty straightforward, but how you take it, is up to your own interpretation. Let us know in the comments.