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Snide Comment on Japanese Player’s Face Might Land Shaquille O’Neal in Trouble

Published 01/31/2023, 11:10 AM EST

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The Los Angeles Lakers made headlines last week after bringing in Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards. Hachimura became the first Japanese international to play for the Lakers. While a majority of the fans and analysts have hailed this move, some have criticized the Lakers’ decision. Interestingly, Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal happens to be one of the numerous personalities to bash Hachimura’s move.

On the latest episode of his podcast, Shaq was asked to give his thoughts on Hachimura. He ranted about the whole move and also said, “I ain’t never heard of him” while talking about Hachimura.

Shaquille O’Neal had some harsh words for the latest Lakers star

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The Los Angeles Lakers have struggled with injuries and depth issues for the past couple of seasons. Rui Hachimura joined the Lakers from the Washington Wizards to add much-needed depth and size to the wings.

Kendrick Nunn and three second-round picks were offered to the Wizards in order to land Hachimura. Safe to say, the Japanese international has already garnered some haters.

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Talking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the former NBA champion didn’t seem too happy with the Lakers’ decision to trade Kendrick Nunn. Additionally, he also said that he had never heard of Hachimura before this move.

Shaq said, “I mean we gave up Kendrick Nunn when he doesn’t even do nothing. My Lakers, we are all about winning championships, I don’t even know who that is. One that impresses me is Bradley Beal, you wanna impress me? That’s all I got I don’t even know who the f**k that is.”

Shaq’s controversial take on Hachimura was criticized by Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant on Twitter a few days ago. This led to a small back-and-forth between the two former champions on Twitter.

A Lakers star was unhappy with Hachimura’s trade

Dennis Schroder was live on his stream when the Hachimura deal was officially announced. The Lakers star didn’t seem too happy with the deal and was surprised that Kendrick Nunn was traded.

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He said, “Wait, for Kendrick Nunn?”. Shortly after, Schroder messaged Nunn and said, “It’s crazy man. NBA is a business. Insane.” Although Schroder and others might not be happy with the trade, Hachimura’s addition to the squad gives life to a thin Lakers’ roster.

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WATCH THIS STORY: Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard—all the coaches and players Shaquille O’Neal had feuds with

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Written by:

Abhinava Ghosh

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Abhinava is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. He is currently pursuing his Bachelor's in Journalism and Mass Communication. Abhinava has been following NBA for the past 6 years and is a huge fan of the Golden State Warriors and Stephen Curry.
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