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via Imago

via Imago

There have always been issues with the officiating, and it is not new to the game. Luka Doncic was recently fined $35k for his remarks toward the game’s official in the dying seconds of the game against the Golden State Warriors on March 22. And players like Doncic and Trae Young have protested against shaky decisions against them on multiple occasions. Young publically demanded accountability from the game officials.

Shaquille O’Neal is the most dominant player in NBA history. How couldn’t he have not shown frustration toward officiating? No chance, right? Shaq has had many altercations with refs in his playing days. And it only makes you wonder how much would they have fined him if he played today.

When Shaquille O’Neal cursed in a post-game interview on live tv

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Big Diesel is one of the most entertaining players in NBA history, be it his in-game dominance or his off-court mischiefs. He is the man with the voice. Now that the NBA season is over, Shaq is always active on social media postings memes and reposting fan’s GOAT lineups as well, most of the time when he is on the list.

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Last night he shared an Instagram story of the reel that was of the time when Shaq called out David Stern, the NBA Commissioner, and the refs after a badly regulated game in which the Los Angeles Lakers nearly lost.

When a reporter asked him about the officials’ wrong calls against them, the 4x NBA champion cursed on live TV. He commented, “David Stern wonders why the league is losing money, that’s why. People paid good money to come to watch these athletes play and [the refs] try to take over the f***ing game!”  Despite being reminded they were on live TV, O’Neal disregarded it and continued to curse. He added, “I don’t give a s**t”

This wasn’t an exclusive occurrence, though! Shaq has faced fines and suspensions on multiple occasions.

When Shaq got banned for three games, Kobe scored 50 in his absence

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Once, Kobe Bryant scored 50 points in Big Diesel’s absence and dedicated it to him. The former Lakers’ 7’1 center got in trouble for punching Brad Miller from the Chicago Bulls. He was banned for three games and fined $15,000. Shaq understood that the punch ensued because they lost by only 2 points.

In the following game, Bryant showed support for Shaq by writing ’34’, his jersey number, on his shoe during the suspension. Although Shaq didn’t just have issues with refs, he was mad at Kobe for not passing him the ball during the game.

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Shaq has always been like this. He is competitive, but Kobe was the most competitive player in the game. There was nothing Shaq could’ve done to win arguments with the black mamba.

How much would the league fine Shaq, if he played today? Lets us know in the comments!