Shaquille O’Neal’s Attempt at Goading Sabrina Ionescu Into Controversial Take on Live TV Fails

Shaquille O’Neal is well-known for being a pot-stirrer. There’s nothing new about that. But the number of people who haven’t fallen for his crafty skills is few and far between. Then again, Sabrina Ionescu is one-of-a-kind. From being on par with the greatest shooter, Stephen Curry, to making history in pro basketball, the 2x WNBA All-Star is set to break and create more records. Going into one of the most anticipated nights of the All-Star weekend, Shaq decided to make the New York Liberty guard his latest prey. But Sabrina is not one to be caught off-guard.

The Oregon graduate was hard at work, practicing for her upcoming 3-point contest with the ‘Baby Faced Assasin’. O’Neal was live on the NBA TNT tip-off when he asked Sabrina if she really wanted the title of the best shooter ever and what she would do to get it. Sabrina, to her credit, didn’t miss a beat as she replied, “He’s the best shooter ever. I’m not competing for that, but on a night like this, if I can come out here, prove a lot of people wrong, and give him a run for his money, I’m gonna do that.”

 Clearly, Big Aristotle‘s attempt at eliciting a controversial response from the WNBA Three-Point Shootout champion didn’t go as planned. It’s quite common to see young hoopers get over in their head when they get to share a stage or go against the greatest players. And when you have a 4x NBA champion goading you on, it’s easy to just go with the flow.

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But the 26-year-old California native has proven that she’s, on many levels, like her idol Stephen Curry – grounded, humble, respectful, and always ready for a challenge. While that may be the case, Sabrina Ionescu is not without pressure. She is not only making history tonight but there are quite a few big names that have bet on her emerging the winner.

Including Steph’s Splash Brother, Ionescu has NBA top names in her corner

Ahead of the All-Star Weekend, some of the top names of the NBA were asked who their picks were for the Stephen vs Sabrina contest. While it would seem like a no-brainer that everyone from the NBA would go with Chef Curry, Ionescu had some major supporters.

The most surprising probably would be Klay Thompson. Steph’s long-time friend and trusty teammate decided to bring out Curry’s competitive side by going with the “Bay Area’s finest“. Other names on the list include Kyrie Irving, Myles Turner, and, for a temporary period, Kevin Durant.

KD is back with Steph as his final choice, because, well, he believes in the 2x three-point contest champion. Those who are on Curry’s side are LeBron James, Anthony Edwards, Damian Lillard, and Draymond Green. Despite it all, what everyone agrees on is that this is going to be an epic event of historical proportions! No matter the outcome.

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