Draymond Green has received a lot of criticism from the NBA fraternity after his recent altercation with Golden State Warriors teammate Jordan Poole. The Warriors closed the matter with a fine while the critics and fans called for a suspension. Unfortunately, things became worse when the video of Green punching Poole during practice on October 5 went viral. Many NBA experts and stars have shared their perspectives on the incident. The Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal has finally broken his silence on the Green-Poole fiasco recently.

The four-time NBA champ appeared on the recent episode of his The Big Podcast with Shaq and addressed the issue. In fact, the Big Aristotle shared his take on the violent altercation between Green and Poole which has taken the NBA world by storm.

Shaquille O’Neal supports Draymond Green

Shaq reckoned that all the people who are criticizing Draymond Green needed to mind their business. The three-time Finals MVP suggested that in a competitive environment, things like these are not uncommon among teammates. Shaq pointed out that even Steve Kerr talked about getting punched in the face by Michael Jordan at the Chicago Bulls.

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Shaq understood that the NBA spirit is about playing fairly, being nice, and the teammates should get along. However, the Big Diesel pointed out that Green’s critics had no idea about competitive spots. O’Neal added, “So just shut the hell up and be a fan.”

Shaquille O’Neal has had personal experience with such situations. Back in 2019, the Lakers legend revealed that he nearly took someone’s life with a punch during a fight. A young O’Neal was messing around with a guy which turned into a physical altercation.

Eventually, Shaq punched the kid in the stomach, which led to seizures. The state in which the boy was lying on the ground really scared Shaq, and after that he stopped being a bully. Moreover, being in the competitive NBA structure for so long, Shaq understands that Green’s reaction was not something that happens rarely among the teams.

Shaq speculates the reason behind Green’s behavior

Shaq also speculated the reason why Green lost control and punched Poole. O’Neal reckoned that after majorly contributing last season, Poole must have tried to check the pecking order in the team.

He reckoned that the Warriors team belonged to Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, due to their seniority and influence. Shaq suggested that Green had a similar voice in the team as one of his former Lakers teammates Brian Shaw.

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Thus, Shaquille O’Neal has come in support of Draymond Green during a difficult phase in his career. The Warriors would hope to bring the team together before the season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on October 18.