NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal can be a bit harsh with his analysis of players at times. Over the years, he has had some feuds with stars because of his comments as a basketball analyst. Notably, he has had beef with stars like Dwight Howard, Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons, and Donovan Mitchell. While some players came back swinging, some did not respond. Also, some fans have also been not impressed with Shaq’s comments about the current generation.

However, O’Neal has always reiterated that he is trying to push the players hard to be great just like he was pushed during his time in the NBA. One of the biggest critics of the four-time NBA champion was All-Time great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The six-time NBA champion recently talked about this during an interview.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about his criticism of O’Neal

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar recently gave an interview where answered questions about a variety of things at the NBARPA Legends Lounge. During the session, the Los Angeles Lakers legend was asked about retired players mentoring the stars of the game. While talking about it, Abdul-Jabbar talked about Shaquille O’Neal. He said that because of his harsh comments, O’Neal thought the six-time NBA MVP hated him.

The 18-time NBA All-Star noted that was not the case and added he just wanted Shaq to be great and reach his potential. He then talked about Shaq’s duel with NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon and suggested that he had to criticize The Big Diesel after the Finals series.

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According to a report from Clutch Points, Abdul-Jabbar said, “I don’t know if you guys remember the Orlando-Houston playoff series and [Hakeem] Olajuwon just took Shaquille to school and what could I say? It was time for him to learn and get serious and once he did that, he’s a Hall of Famer and he belongs there.”

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He added that Shaq winning three-straight titles with Kobe Bryant changed everyone’s perception of what he was capable of.

A young Shaquille O’Neal vs. a seasoned Hakeem Olajuwon 

Like a lot of superstars, Shaquille O’Neal had his doubters as well. Even though he was unstoppable individually, not many were convinced he could lead his team. Then the 1995 NBA Finals series between the Orlando Magic and reigning champions the Houston Rockets magnified this. Hakeem Olajuwon and his much-experienced Rockets swept Shaq and the young Magic.

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However, it has to be noted O’Neal faced a seasoned Olajuwon who was unstoppable on both ends of the court. Even Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan in his prime was scared of The Dream. Furthermore, Shaq did not necessarily play badly in the series. The Houston Rockets legend just had a better series and Shaquille O’Neal could not stop him on the defensive end. It was a huge learning point for the young center who then went on to do big things in the league.