NBA fans have always been piqued by the beef between Shaquille O’Neal and
Kevin Durant. The duo is pretty active on social media handles and always ready to verbally spar. KD has often called out Shaq and Charles Barkley for their takes. This has resulted in multiple back-and-forths between them. However, O’Neal cleared the air on his apparent beef with the two-time NBA champion.
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Over a month ago, when Rui Hachimura was traded to the Lakers and Shaq didn’t know who he was, KD called out the Hall of Famer, claiming that “
he doesn’t know ball.” The two soon got involved in a war of words with each other.
Shaquille O’Neal shed some light on his situation with Kevin Durant during a recent episode of the podcast,
I Am Athlete.Shaquille O’Neal opens up about his “beef” with Kevin Durant
O’Neal has always been critical of Kevin Durant on the court throughout the years. And he hasn’t shied away from expressing it publicly. Kevin Durant also responds to Shaq’s comments, sometimes a bit too harshly. The duo has developed an ongoing “beef” due to this. When Shaquille O’Neal was asked about his public beef with Kevin Durant, he was quick to state that he didn’t have any beef with the Phoenix Suns star.
He said, “I don’t have beef with people, brother. Let me tell you something about me. I want to hang out with y’all, but I want to hang out with them. So my point is that all these beautiful girls… I ain’t worried about no dudes dawg. I don’t want no problems. I’m 50 years old man. We don’t know, I’ve been there and had our little… I don’t want to do that.”
O’Neal mentioned how he just wants to enjoy right now. He said, “I want to chill. He said Shaq don’t know ball. So you can take that two kind of ways. So I thought he was being funny, so I was being funny, that’s it. All right, no problems. I got no problems with nobody. That’s it.”
Shaq clearly does not wish to be engaged in feuds at the age of fifty. He might have engaged in a few spats with Kevin Durant over the years, but he still thinks that Kevin Durant is one of the best players ever.
Charles Barkley and Kevin Durant
Apart from being criticized by Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Durant has also been subject to harsh remarks from Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley. During a recent interview that was aired on CBS last Sunday night, the analyst had much to say about Kevin Durant. He said, “He’s very sensitive. Great player. He’s part of that generation who think he can’t be criticized. He’s never looked in the mirror and says ‘Man, is that a fair criticism?'”
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The 34-year-old had enough with Charles Barkley and he was quick to respond. He tweeted: “This ain’t gettin tiring chuck? I’ll never respect the words that come out ya mouth fam just deal with it.”
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Read More: Kevin Durant’s Legacy Torn to Shreds by Furious Shaquille O’Neal Amid Charles Barkley Fiasco: “That wasn’t your team, that was still Steph’s team and Klay’s team”
While the banter between Shaq and KD may appear heated at times, it’s all in good spirits. There is no beef between the two NBA greats as clarified by Shaquille O’Neal. However, their verbal sparring might not be over just yet. What are your thoughts on Shaq’s and Durant’s “beef”? Let us know in the comments below.
