Candace Parker picks apart Shaquille O'Neal's modern basketball logic on Inside the NBA

From the NBA 2019-20 season, Candace Parker has been working as an analyst while covering Tuesday night's (Wednesday IST) games on Inside the NBA. One of her co-hosts is the retired NBA star and four-time NBA champion Shaquille O'Neal. While O'Neal is considered one of the best players the game has seen, his recent remarks have been seen as outdated by many fans. In this week's episode, the two-time WNBA MVP picked apart O'Neal's logic about modern basketball. 

Also read | Shaq defends himself after Mitchell criticism, says 'I Know What Greatness Is'

Candace Parker and Shaq: WNBA star schools LA Lakers icon on NBA on TNT

Part 2 of Candace Parker putting Shaq in a bodybag. This time with math. https://t.co/2EZ3gvqjNg pic.twitter.com/emmI4GFP9I

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) March 3, 2021

While O'Neal and Charles Barkley are known for their content on the show, Parker let O'Neal know a thing or two about modern basketball. She started by explaining how teams usually exploit the switching defence, reacting to screens and offensive plays. When O'Neal tried to speak about people needing to 'man up', Parker broke down modern basketball for the 48-year-old. 

"The NBA switches now, right," Parker said, to which O'Neal asked why. 

"Because everybody can shoot threes," came Parker's reply, to which O'Neal demanded to know what happened to manning up. Parker explained her side, speaking of how while one would try to man up, someone like Nikola Jokic would have already shot a three. The exchange continued for some time, everyone noticing Parker's expression and the awkward pauses. 

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Fans react

Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade also spoke to O'Neal. “If you have four to five three-point shooters on the court, you’re not going to rotate enough times,” Wade explained. 

For fans, this was another incident affecting O'Neal's reputation. He was last called out for his interview with Donovan Mitchell, telling the Utah Jazz star that he was not good enough to get to the next level. While O'Neal tried to explain his side, the damage was done. Later, he referred to new players as "pudding pops", unable to take any criticism. 

Also read | Shaquille O'Neal calls new era NBA players 'Pudding Pops' for not taking criticism well

Candace Parker WNBA career

Parker has played 13 seasons in the WNBA with the Los Angeles Sparks, recently returning to play with her home team, the Chicago Sky. Parker has won the WNBA MVP award twice (2008, 2013), along with the Defensive Player of the Year award last year. She won the title in 2016 with the Sparks. 

Also read | Will Candace Parker leave Sparks after 13 years for WNBA 'Home' team Chicago Sky?

(Image credits: Candace Parker Instagram)