Brooklyn Nets star Ben Simmons has confirmed he is in great shape at the moment. Overcoming both his mental and physical problems, the 27-year-old is all set for the upcoming season. Yet, many seem to be doubtful of Simmons’s game due to his injury history. Despite the doubts, the veteran guard has given a promising reply, which was surprisingly acknowledged by Shaquille O’Neal. The Los Angeles Lakers legend has been one of Simmons’ biggest detractors, so his latest activity left many fans dumbfounded.?

Just 9 days back, Big Diesel called out the Nets star for his expensive contract on social media. Contrastingly now, the 51-year-old is seemingly rooting for Simmons’s return.

Ben Simmons gets a rare acknowledgment from Shaquille O’Neal?

‘Can Ben Simmons give a breakout season for the Brooklyn Nets fans?’ has been the question on many fans’ minds. However, his words have been promising so far. In an interview, the 27-year-old shared, “I owe it to everybody, the fans, and everybody, to get back to where I need to be”. Simmons added at the end,?“Get ready for a great year.”

While many are in doubt, Shaq is pretty confident about Simmons as he shared the above in his Instagram story. However, at the same time, Shaq is not a great fan of Simmons’ contract. The 3x All-Star signed a massive $177,243,360 contract during his time with the Philadelphia 76ers. Two more years are left in the contract and Simmons is expected to earn $80 million over the next two seasons.?

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The LA champion shared Simmons’ contract details on his Instagram a few days back, which highlighted a per-game salary of $477,000. 9 days later, Shaq seems to be confident about the 2018 ROTY. In addition, let us not forget the harsh criticism by Shaq towards Simmons.?

Shaquille O’Neal’s harsh words for Ben Simmons over the years

This has happened several times. The first one was in January 2022 when Big Diesel called the Nets guard a “soft partner” for being a “crybaby”. Simmons did not like the criticism he was receiving back then and Shaq decided to call him out for the same.?

Later in April the same year, Simmons was termed as a “punk”, for sitting out in a crucial game. The Nets who were down 0-3 to the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs were in desperate need of support. However, Simmons decided to sit out due to back soreness, which led to a harsh take from Shaq.?

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Surprisingly now, Shaquille O’Neal has shown rare support to Simmons. Can the Nets star live up to his words? Share your take in the comments below.?