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Shaquille O’Neal is no stranger to criticism. The most dominant big man of all time has been questioned over a lot of things in his career. The “sensitive” tag is still bestowed on him, especially by his good friend Charles Barkley. He has called out Shaq for getting triggered easily.

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However, there is one person who Shaq thinks can criticize him, and it won’t be an issue. The Big Man once revealed on his podcast that if Stephen Curry is the one saying things about him, he won’t mind. Shaq was talking about Dak Prescott when he granted this privilege to Curry.

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Shaquille O’Neal explained Stephen Curry’s privilege

This was around the time when Prescott was being heavily scrutinized by fans and teammates alike. Discussing the topic on The Big Podcast, the Big Man stated that the criticism is unfair. After the discussion, Nischelle Turner asked Shaq, since he didn’t like it when his teammates talked about him, what would he have done if he was in Prescott’s situation. Shaq said, “I’m hot and we’re gonna handle that at the next team meeting. Like I always did.” As we know, Shaq doesn’t hesitate to speak his mind, so he would’ve retaliated to the blatant disrespect.

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However, there is one exception that the 4x NBA champion was willing to make. That exception is called Wardell Stephen Curry. Shaq said, “If you ain’t playing the perfect Steph Curry-type game, don’t talk about what I do or what I didn’t do.” Shaq said that one needs to have a certain credibility to their name before one comes out trashing others. Shaq thinks that someone like Steph possesses that credibility, as he has earned it through hard work over the years.

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Another thing that Shaq didn’t like about the Prescott situation was that his teammates were making public admissions of the issues. He said that as teammates, they should’ve tried solving it within their locker room. As for the hypothetical situation in the Big Man’s life, he said, “If you didn’t tell me to my face and you tell them, we’ve got a problem because I just saw you.”

Shaq showed his team player side while discussing the topic and what he said about Curry . It shows that the Big Man is indeed humble and acknowledges greatness. Despite Barkley’s regular jibe at him, Shaq is a sensitive individual who doesn’t respond well to criticism.

Read More: Part of the “Vampire Bloodline”, Shaquille O’Neal’s Daughter Admits to Being Scared of Father’s Wild Prediction

Maybe it’s not the criticism, it’s the source that matters more to him.

Watch This Story: Humbling Damian Lillard With ‘Goat’ Crown, Shaquille O’Neal Defends Alter Ego Career With 1 Verdict

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Prateek Singh

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Prateek Singh is a senior NBA writer for EssentiallySports, known for his insightful coverage of the league. With a deep passion for basketball fueled by the late Kobe Bryant's championship runs, Prateek has built his writing career on astute analysis and a firm understanding of the game. His area of expertise lies in breaking down trade reports and their implications for fans. His heartwarming coverage of tributes to NBA legend Magic Johnson’s father after his passing saw very high ratios of fan engagement. While this serves as a step closer to him writing a biography on his idol Kobe Bryant, for now, his focus is on delivering trustworthy coverage of the league he loves.

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Caroline Joseph

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