For Shaquille O’Neal, locker room hierarchies never went out of fashion. His latest target is the delicate balance of power within the Boston Celtics. As Jayson Tatum returns to the lineup following a 10-month absence, O’Neal is issuing a stern directive to the team’s underrated MVP candidate, Jaylen Brown. Shaq’s demand for Brown to remain the unofficial captain of the ship comes just weeks after a similar, viral confrontation with Karl-Anthony Towns.

“His counter partner is coming back so his mentality must maintain, ‘I am the 1st option, you can ease your way in. This is how we gonna play,'” O’Neal stated on Inside the NBA before the Celtics-Mavericks game tipped off. He personally felt that Jayson Tatum should’ve taken a longer break while the team is secure at the top of the East with Jaylen Brown.

O’Neal argued that while the Celtics have historically been viewed as “Tatum’s team,” the script has flipped. “We all know this was always ‘Tatum’s team’ and [Brown] was the second option that played great, but now the tables have turned. So he needs to keep the same mentality and let Tatum be the second guy.”

Shaq even agreed with LeBron James’ take that Jaylen Brown needs to be in the MVP conversation with his performance this season. He’s playing the best basketball of his career, averaging career highs across the board, changing the ‘gap year’ narrative about Tatum’s absence, and making the Celtics championship contenders once more.

Like Bron, Shaq also feels the MVP race is a “popularity contest” for unfairly omitting Brown’s name. Jayson Tatum’s return doesn’t change that Brown’s productivity has been carrying the team all season.

Shaquille O’Neal wants to preserve Jaylen Brown’s MVP momentum

Jaylen Brown’s staggering output since Jayson Tatum went down with a ruptured right Achilles during the 2025 playoffs is the reason why Shaquille O’Neal claims the tables have turned.

Brown has transformed from an elite secondary star into a high-usage offensive engine. Throughout January 2026, Brown averaged 28.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, including a 50-point masterpiece against the Clippers. He’s currently fifth in the league in points, surpassing former MVP frontrunner, Nikola Jokic, who fell to the sixth spot.

He’s also averaging more minutes than he ever has. Jayson Tatum’s return becomes a blessing to Joe Mazzulla to reduce that load on JB in the most grueling stretch of the season.

Charles Barkley had a similar opinion but he directed it JT instead. “Tatum’s got to ease into it, Ernie.,” Chuck had said later in the show. He followed with some heavy praise for Brown. “Jaylen has proven, ‘I can carry us; we’ve got the second-best record, exactly at the same place we were. I’m the Conference Finals MVP and I’m the MVP.’ For me, Jayson Tatum is in a great situation. He doesn’t have to come back and be ‘Jayson Tatum’ immediately. He can come back and be like, ‘You know what? I’m going to help when I can,’ because it’s going to take him some time to ramp up.”

Whether the Celtics can maintain their rhythm while reintegrating a superstar remains to be seen. But Shaq’s not changed since getting trolled for nagging KAT. He firmly believes Jaylen Brown has earned the right to lead, and he shouldn’t look back.