“I Never Did Not Like You”: Settling Decades-Old Beef With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Taught Shaquille O’Neal a Humbling Lesson

Published 03/29/2023, 12:35 PM EDT

The feud between Shaquille O’Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one that has stood the test of time. The feud is said to have begun when Shaq joined the Lakers and when he openly attacked Kareem’s coaching skills. Since then, the two have traded jabs and insults, with Kareem even criticizing Shaq for his lack of defensive effort. Despite the fact that both players are regarded as among the best centers of all time, they did not get along well with each other. That is, until Kareem opened up about his beef with Shaq.

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Shaquille O’Neal, in a recent episode of I Am Athlete, shed light on his relationship with Kareem.

Shaquille O’Neal speaks about his beef with Kareem

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal both played for the Los Angeles Lakers. However, this did not help the duo have an amicable relationship with each other. There was some initial tension between the two when Shaq was drafted into the Lakers. However, Shaq used to look up to Kareem from his rookie days. He opened up about his beef with Kareem during the latest episode of I Am Athlete. Here’s what he said:

“So, you know with that beef between Kareem? I told him because I saw him a couple of years ago. He was walking, I was walking. I didn’t want to say nothing. He said can I talk to you, brother? And I said yeah, and he was the nicest man.”

He went on, “He said I never did not like you. It’s just you know I was told to leave you alone. I didn’t want to bother you and know what I told him. I said thank you, brother, because it motivated me. It motivated me, so thank you.”

When Kareem paid no attention to Shaq, it only drove Shaq to be better on the court. What appeared to be a beef between Shaq and Kareem was merely Kareem staying out of Shaq’s way so that he can reach great heights of success. And it definitely worked! However, the duo has let go of their past beef now. Shaq has learned to put his differences aside and the duo now share a beautiful friendship.

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Kareem had a recent exchange with Shaq

The Hall-of-Famer Kareem was seated in the courtside to witness LeBron James break Kareem’s record for the No.1 spot on the league’s all-time regular scoring list in February. Shaq was present in the ‘NBA on TNT’ studio to watch history being made. After LeBron broke Kareem’s record, he spoke to the panel of ‘NBA on TNT’. Kareem told Shaq that he was always on his side.

Kareem added, “Shaq, don’t let anybody tell you any differently.” Kareem’s kind words moved the NBA icon. Shaq said, “Listen, you not speaking to me was the best thing that happened in my career, because all I wanted to do was impress you.” He even stated that he could never have any beef with the six-time NBA champion.

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Nothing but love between @kaj33 & @SHAQ pic.twitter.com/9rEv7oGoqM
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 8, 2023

Watch This Story: Shaquille O’Neal or Kareem Abdul Jabbar: Who Made More 3 Pointers Among the Lakers Legends?

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The feud between Shaq and Kareem has been put to rest with both the involved parties, expressing their love and respect for each other. It is exciting to see what the future holds for the duo as they embark on a new journey of friendship.

What are your thoughts on their recent exchange? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

Ranjitha Ramesh is a freshman at EssentiallySports. A degree holder in Journalism and Mass Communication, Ranjitha is eager to report on the lifestyle and off-court shenanigans of popular NBA stars. She is a huge fan of LeBron James as a player and of the Lakers as a team.

Edited by:

Aayush Kapoor

“I Never Did Not Like You”: Settling Decades-Old Beef With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Taught Shaquille O’Neal a Humbling Lesson

Shaquille O’Neal speaks about his beef with Kareem

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Kareem had a recent exchange with Shaq