Despite Facing Shaquille O’Neal’s Wrath Firsthand, Mad Dog Once Complimented ‘Cartoon Character’s’ Classy Gesture

Shaquille O’Neal and Mad Dog might not see eye to eye now. The relationship of the two, however, has continued to ebb and flow. There have been instances where Chris Russo has had good things to say about the 4x NBA champion. Russo once mentioned in his book all the qualities of Shaq that he likes.

Although these days the tension between them is high, that wasn’t always the case. Russo, in his book The Mad Dog Hall of Fame: The Ultimate Top-Ten Rankings of the Best in Sports, talked about Shaq’s endearing personality.

What Mad Dog likes about Shaquille O’Neal

The 64-year-old wrote that Shaq attracts all the attention to him wherever he goes. This extends beyond the limits of the basketball court as well. Russo wrote, “And Shaq is the center of attention off the court, too. He has personality. He’s larger than life in more ways than one.” Shaq has lowkey been beefing with Steve Nash over the 2 MVP titles that Nash grabbed. As per the Big Man, he finds it hard to believe that Nash outplayed him twice. However, Shaq likes to give it a fun spin instead of being sour about it. Russo mentioned that in his book as well.

Russo wrote, “He’s funny-pretending to break down in tears when he hears that Steve Nash won the MVP instead of him.” Shaq’s nemesis was touched by his gesture for the late George Mikan as the Big Man offered to pay for his funeral because his family couldn’t afford it at the time. “He knows that he’s a little bit of a cartoon character and he has fun with that. Plus he’s a real, live sheriff. When you think of NBA basketball at the turn of the millennium, you’re going to think of one player, Shaquille O’Neal,” he added. As per Russo, these qualities in the Big Man make him eligible for the “Mad Dog Hall of Fame”.

Read More: ‘The Big Podcast’ Is Back: Here’s All You Need to Know About Shaquille O’Neal’s Massive Revamp of Fan Favorite Show

Now, however, Shaq is threatening to smack Russo after his recent comment. Mad Dog, while discussing the top 5 centers of all time, decided to put the Big Man at #5. Understandably it struck a nerve in Shaq and he wasn’t willing to let it go without some harsh comments. The 51-year-old responded with, “I was going to boastfully and arrogantly say I’m the most dominant center ever. I don’t ever wanna hear another name again”.

Shaq topped it off with, “I will smack the sh*t out of that dude”. One key takeaway from this recently erupted beef should be, don’t disrespect Diesel while preparing your all-time list.

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