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“Shaq Doesn’t Really Watch Basketball”: Days After His Daughter Was Smitten With Ja Morant, Shaquille O’Neal’s “Foolish” Comment Draws Flak

Published 01/17/2023, 4:52 AM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Ja Morant has a growing fan base. One notable fan is Shaquille O’Neal’s daughter herself. After his viral poster dunk on Jalen Smith during the Memphis Grizzlies vs the Indiana Pacers, many NBA players including LeBron James and Kevin Durant were in awe of the young player. Me’arah O’Neal also shared a story with the Morant dunk clip and captioned it, “Omggg!!!!

However, her father has garnered a lot of attention after his commentary on Ja Morant. The NBA world roasted him for his “foolish” comment and concluded that “Shaq doesn’t really watch basketball”.

What did Shaquille O’Neal say?

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The Big Aristotle said, “When you talk about how hard work pays off…wasn’t no high draft pick, wasn’t really talked about in high school, but the kid can flat out play.

Except Ja Morant was the No. 2 pick in the draft in 2019. This has led to much flak for the NBA legend with many netizens correcting Shaquille O’Neal.

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His comments came following the Grizzlies’ 10-win stretch after obliterating the Phoenix Suns tonight. They are now dominating the Western Conference with a record of 30-13 with a winning percentage of .698.

Shaq wanted to make a case for Morant and said that he was “upset” that the Grizzlies player was not in the MVP debate. He said, “Based on the old-school criteria, he should be mentioned“. Additionally, if one looks at the current stats, he is averaging 27.4 points, 7.9 assists, and 5.8 rebounds.

Shaq was already a fan of Ja Morant

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Last year, Shaquille O’Neal revealed that he had told Ja Morant that he was the best player in the league today. Morant was seemingly taken aback but Shaq reassured him that he was “the best – for real“.

USA Today via Reuters

Shaq explained, “He plays with reckless abandonment, loves to talk trash, doesn’t care. He can shoot the three, loves to put on a show for the fans.

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Watch This Story: Top 10 Ja Morant Dunks That Display His Unreal Vertical and Athleticism

Shaq compared Morant to a new-age Allen Iverson. He also compared Morant to Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant. He added, “This kid, it will definitely be his league in a few years.”

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Written by:

Rekha Joly

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Rekha Joly is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a triple major in English, Journalism, and Psychology from St. Joseph's College, Bangalore.
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Edited by:

Gideon Mathson