Trash-talking is part and parcel of the NBA world! There are separate fan bases that enjoy on-court banters with special lip-reading experts. However, there are a few stars that take fans’ experiences to another level. There’s no need for an expert, the stars instead produce high-quality rap tracks. We’re talking about Shaquille O’Neal and Damian Lillard beef from 2019. Even though the heat had subsided, retired rapper, Joe Budden, crack opened it again, backing Shaq.

Before we cut to a flashback and give a summary of the story from 2019, let’s see how it reignited again. Again it was the Milwaukee Bucks star who started it. Featuring in the latest episode of Best of Both Worlds alongside LSU guard Fla’ujae, Lillard opened up about the feud while talking about his rapping career. Moreover, Budden was involved in the feud back then as well.

Narrating the history to Fla’ujae, Damian Lillard said, “I was on Joe Budden’s podcast and he was like, ‘Who’s the best basketball player out the league to, you know, who raps the best?’ And I was like, ‘Me.'” Following that adamant claim, Shaq replied with a diss and the duo had a back-and-forth. Now, cut to the present, Joe Budden, unaware of the aftermath of his podcast with Lillard, innocently asked, “Why did Shaq go in the booth and diss Damian Lillard again?  I don’t even remember what that was about.”

Fortunately, the 44-year-old asked the right bunch of people, and they quickly helped him out. Sitting in the Club520 Podcast, immediately listening to Dame’s best rapper claim, Budden said, “That one I’m not mad at dissing.” Certainly, the rapper aligned with Big Aristotle’s impulsive decision and backed him.

What’s the jazz? A blast from the past: Shaq vs Damian Lillard

As we know, Dr. Diesel went inside the studio after Dame’s claim. While Shaq had already ruled the music world with his rapping skills in the 90s, he still seemed to have got it. Speaking of Shaq’s talent, Joe Budden lauded his ability to compete with the 90s rapper. Nevertheless, back to the subject, the big man had no mercy as he took shots at Dame, trashing his balling ability.

Lines from Shaq’s Freestyle diss

Take your time to respond,
There is no hurry,
You’ll never be Westbrook,
Never be Curry.”

On the other hand, Damian Lillard wasn’t letting that easily slide. Notably, he has also made himself a reputation as a rapper. Importantly, the Bucks star recently narrated the moment, he learned about the diss. He said, “Somebody was like, ‘Man, Shaq dissed you.’ And they like, sent me like, a link. I clicked on it and he actually did. He actually did diss me. Training camp, I left my house that day and went to the studio.”  In fact, Lillard came up with two back-to-back diss tracks.

Lines from Dame’s diss track

Your flexing ain’t really your thing bro.
We both could be working at Kinko’s,
And Kobe won you them rings though.”

Lillard straight away went to question Shaq’s legacy claiming that the big man depended on Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade for his rings. While the duo’s feud has boiled down, will it burst once again? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.