Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is expressing no sympathy for Steve Nash after the latter’s dismissal as head coach of the Brooklyn Nets.
O’Neal offered his thoughts on “The Big Podcast With Shaq” by pointing out that Nash was expected to win while also getting in a dig over a perceived award slight.
“Yeah twice,” O’Neal said in regards to Nash stealing the MVP from him.
“When you do anything in New York, eyes are on you. So he was in New York, that’s the first thing. The second thing is you got some great talent on your team, you’re expected to win. Last year was a difficult year because one of your superstars only played half a year.
“This year, you came in with all two-and-a-half superstars. Everybody was healthy, wasn’t no complaining. Yeah, I said what I said, two-and-a-half superstars and again, you’re still supposed to win. Two are dangerous. The two at one time were compared to Steph [Curry] and Klay [Thompson], but they just couldn’t get it done. But they 94-67 under Steve Nash, won a playoff round and KD (Kevin Durant) and Kyrie [Irving] only played 64 games together. But this year, everybody’s expecting big things out of them, and it’s just not working out.”
O’Neal’s derisive comment about “two-and-a-half superstars” is in reference to Durant and Irving, with Ben Simmons representing the half superstar.
The shot at Simmons is the latest volley between the Nets guard and the Hall of Famer. Simmons has previously criticized O’Neal’s perceived interest in Simmons’ mental health by noting that O’Neal publicly offered help but did nothing behind the scenes.
In Nash’s defense, last season and the early portion of the current campaign have been filled with constant turmoil for the Nets. Much of last year’s drama dealt with Irving’s refusal to take the COVID-19 vaccine, which kept him off the court for more than half the Nets’ games.
Then, during the offseason, Durant asked to be traded. However, after there appeared to be little interest due to the high asking price of the Nets, Durant, rescinded his request.
Finally, Irving again enveloped the Nets in controversy by appearing to endorse a project that was deemed anti-Semitic in nature. At first, Irving refused to apologize before relenting after the Nets suspended him.
There’s no guarantee that Nash’s replacement will be able to get the Nets back on track. That new coach has been rumored to be currently suspended Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka.
Like O’Neal, Nash is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Part of Nash’s path to the shrine was created by winning NBA MVP honors in consecutive years.
Those awards were handed out for Nash’s efforts in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. However, it’s clear that O’Neal feels that he was more deserving of the accolades.
O’Neal has never been afraid to offer blunt remarks on any number of topics. That willingness to be open is a key reason why he comments on the NBA for TNT.
It’s doubtful that Nash will offer a comment about O’Neal’s remarks as he begins a new phase of his life.
