It’s not every day that NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shows admiration for players who have irked him at some point in his life. While his beef with stars such as Dwight Howard and Rudy Gobert has been well-publicized, his take on an 8x All-Star has taken a back seat over the years. However, the Los Angeles Lakers icon seems to have switched his stance on his former rival, who won 2x MVPs over the Big Aristotle.

O’Neal often shares clips of under-appreciated stars from years gone by on Instagram. However, the former star he chose to shine a light on this time surprised many, as Shaq himself wasn’t too appreciative of him not too long ago.

Shaquille O’Neal shows silent admiration for his former rival

Beef in basketball is quite common. The clash between Big Diesel and 8x All-Star Steve Nash all began with the 2005 MVP award. O’Neal felt snubbed when Nash was awarded the trophy, and Shaq has not been shy in expressing his discontent with Nash since, especially during Nash’s less-than-successful stint as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

But he surprised everyone when he posted a Steve Nash fact in his Instagram stories. He shared a reel of vintage Steve Nash performances. The video also features the 2 back-to-back MVPs secured by him. It’s noteworthy that he was the runner-up for a third consecutive MVP in the 2006-07 season.

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The impact made by Steve Nash is something tremendous compared to today’s NBA stars. The video was posted on the official Instagram handle of Coach Hillball captioned as “He would be better in today’s game.”

Considering Shaq won just 1 MVP in his career, it was understandable why he was hostile towards the Canadian. O’Neal claimed in his book Shaq Uncut that the only reason Nash didn’t have a ring was that he was not a top dog. And Shaq played with Nash for a year in Phoenix. All of Nash’s good work as a player came crashing down, however, when he became the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.

Steve Nash’s Brooklyn Nets tenure

Steve Nash’s time leading the Brooklyn Nets ended in a way that was unexpected to many. Despite Steve Kerr’s views that it was hard for Nash to be successful, his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal didn’t sympathize. Shaq joked that Nash cost him two MVP awards, lightheartedly expressing his opinion.

Shaq is unbiased in the case of Steve Nash; sometimes he lashes out the shortcomings, and often we’re surprised to see some form of silent admiration. What are your thoughts on Shaq’s latest story? Let us know in the comments

Read more: Despite Still Holding a 19-Year-Old Grudge Over the NBA MVP Award, Shaquille O’Neal Shares an Astonishing Steve Nash Fact on Social Media