Shaquille O’Neal compares himself with some of the best centers in the modern NBA, but he doesn’t want any of them to copy him. Out of the top big men in the league currently, Shaq believes Joel Embiid has a bit of the ‘Big Diesel’ energy inside the paint. But, that does not mean he must be a monster in the paint alone. Shaq wants Embiid to take the odds and succeed in the playoffs. The Philadelphia 76ers center is often mocked for his playoff record, so here is a solution from the 4x champion. 

On his appearance on the Draymond Green Show, the Los Angeles Lakers legend said, “F*** Shaq. Just play the odds. If I got a guy 6’7 on me, I’m not shooting a jumper…Imma try get him in foul trouble, get my teammate in a penalty, and the percentages go up when you move closer to the basket…When it goes in it looks pretty, but when it doesn’t go off in playoff situations, you’re going to live with that, ‘You the only MVP who never made it out of the first round’. I know guys don’t want to live with that.” 

Shaq got a fact wrong here. Joel Embiid is the only MVP who has not made it past the second round. In his seven years of playoff experience, the Sixers center has not made it to the Conference Finals. Several analysts and fans on social media have often used this to take a shot at Embiid. Forget fans, Shaq himself has called out Embiid for it.

Shaquille O’Neal criticized Embiid, just the way Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized him 

Joel Embiid is often called out for having an underwhelming performance in the playoffs. According to the fans on the internet, he doesn’t step up when it matters the most. Looks like Shaq is on the same page. Before the playoffs this year around January, Shaq mentioned that the 2023 MVP had to step up in the postseason. 

Shaq shared, “I was averaging big numbers with LA, but we kept getting swept like, ‘Okay Shaq, you’re doing that in the regular season, what about in the playoffs?’ They asked Kareem, ‘What do you think about Shaq?’ and Kareem says, ‘Well, he hasn’t won any championships yet.’ So, that’s my message to Mr. Embiid.”

That was clean and clear from Shaq. Embiid can give his knee injury as an excuse for missing the Conference Finals this year. The struggle was evident in all the six games he played in the postseason. However, there is no excuse for the previous years. Let’s see if it will change in the upcoming seasons. 

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video: