15 Years After Doubting Shaquille O’Neal’s Manhood, 63 YO Miami Heat Legend Seemingly Buries the Hatchet in Unfiltered Backstage Moment

Shaquille O’Neal was known for being a hot-head on the floor. It appears, however, that one of the individuals he had a disagreement with in the past has now reconciled with him. The two were spotted embracing each other and engaging in a lighthearted moment, indicating that they have resolved their differences. The war of the words between the two can be traced back to a matchup between the Phoenix Suns and the Orlando Magic.

Shaq’s strong dislike for Dwight Howard has been widely acknowledged. Howard’s involvement in the incident was one of the factors that contributed to the verbal dispute between Shaq and Orlando coach, Stan Van Gundy.

Shaquille O’Neal and Miami Heat legend bury the hatchet

In a matchup between the Suns and the Magic, Shaquille O’Neal was guarding Dwight Howard when he appeared to intentionally fall in order to provoke a foul call, a practice commonly referred to as flopping. Orlando’s head coach strongly disapproved of Shaq’s actions and responded with harsh criticism.

The 63-year-old, Van Gundy, who is hailed as a legend in Miami for his assistant coaching stint under Pat Riley with the Heat, expressed his surprise and disappointment, stating, “I was shocked and very disappointed because he knows what it’s like. You know, let’s stand up and play like men, and I think our guy did that.”

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Van Gundy’s comment questioned Shaq’s masculinity, which the big man did not appreciate. In response, Shaq referred to Van Gundy as a “master of panic.”

In a press conference, Shaq added. “First of all, none of his players like him. When it gets tough, he will become the master of panic like he did before and he will quit like he did before. The one thing I despise is frontrunners. Yeah, he’s got a young team playing good but don’t be a frontrunner. Him and his brother and even the legend on the bench ain’t done what I’ve done in my whole career. So flopping would be the wrong choice of words.”

However, after nearly 15 years, the two seemed to have reconciled, as they were observed sharing a lighthearted moment during the sixth game of the Eastern Conference Finals.

Witnessing these prominent figures embrace each other and move past their past disagreements was heartening. It seems Shaq is tying loose ends from altercations from the past. In a list full of beefs from his playing days, there’s one that stands out from the rest, his altercation with Miami coach, Pat Riley.

Shaq and Miami’s Pat Riley have a beef to settle

During Shaquille O’Neal’s tenure with the Miami Heat, a heated confrontation took place between him and the head coach, Pat Riley, during a practice session. Tempers flared, leading to a verbal altercation between the two.

O’Neal described the intense encounter, stating, “Now it’s me and Riley face-to-face, jaw to jaw. I’m poking him in the chest, and he keeps slapping my finger away, and it’s getting nasty. Noisy, too. He’s yelling ‘Fuk you!’ and I’m yelling back, ‘No, fu*k you!’

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