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

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has defended himself after a flurry of criticism coming his way following his comments on Donovan Mitchell.  The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar was under the scanner for his comments with Kevin Durant and LeBron James hitting out at the former player turned analyst. Shaq has now responded to those comments, in typical fashion. 

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Shaq criticism: NBA analyst responds to backlash on Donovan Mitchell comments 

Shaquille O'Neal had courted controversy for being overly-critical of current NBA players, hitting out at Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell during a post-game interview. The former Lakers star told Mitchell that “you are one of my favourite players but you don’t have what it takes to get to the next level… I said it on purpose because I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?” The 24-year-old didn’t really know what to say, and gave a short, one-word response: “Aight".

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Shaq's comments saw both Kevin Durant and LeBron James react to an Instagram post questioning why young players are so “sensitive” when receiving “constructive criticism” from basketball legends. LeBron James chimed in and suggested: "There's a difference between constructive criticism and soft hating though. I've seen it both ways come my way, mostly the hate. You can hear it in their delivery". Kevin Durant though took another angle and wrote, "Them old heads need to go enjoy retirement. These boys have coaches they work with everyday lol". 

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Shaq has now taken to Instagram, and wrote, “I know what greatness is. Ain’t nobody playing done what I have done besides LeBron and Steph Curry. I have G14 classification to say what I say, you better google me". The Lakers legend also shared pictures of some o the greatest guards he played with, including Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Penny Hardaway, Dwyane Wade and surprisingly LeBron James. His post seems like a hit back at Durant, and the two have had their fair share of history. 

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Shaq had famously criticised JaVale McGee while Durant was playing for the Golden State Warriors, and he launched into his teammate's defence. KD told the Associated Press that the Hall of Famer’s actions were “childish” and mentioned that he was “a shitty free throw shooter. He missed dunks, he air-balled free throws, he couldn’t shoot outside the paint. He was bigger than everybody. He didn’t have any skills". Shaq had tersely responded telling The Crossover that Durant had no right to speak on his name because at the time he had not won an NBA Championship. Since then, KD has lifted two and could lift a third with the Brooklyn Nets this season. 

(Image Courtesy: AP)