It’s not the first time Shaquille O’Neal has had a problem with Jake Paul. When the YouTuber-turned-boxer faced Mike Tyson, the Lakers legend claimed he got robbed. Now, when the Problem Child lost to Anthony Joshua, Shaq once again aired his problems. But not everyone sided with that opinion, and some former NBA players even credited the performance, starting with Gilbert Arenas.

“Like we know now, it wasn’t rigged because you (Paul) got your jaw broken two places,” the former Warriors star took a firm stance on The Gilbert Arenas Show. “That is what’s supposed to happen if you don’t do boxing-boxing in real time. But you have gotten better. He’s gotten better from when he fought Nate (Robinson) to now. So the fact that you went in there, stood tall, got broke, and still laughed, I commend you, Jake.

“And I hope you now can move on with your career at this point. It doesn’t matter who you fight. I’m paying my money to see it. I don’t care now who it is because you stood tall, fought someone, and the results were the results.”

Unlike the Mike Tyson fight, Paul looked uncomfortable against Joshua from the get-go. The British boxer, at 6 feet 6 inches tall with an 82-inch reach, was indeed Paul’s biggest opponent to date. Ultimately, it was too much for The Rooster (El Gallo), Paul, as he failed to beat the referee’s count after a thunderous right from Joshua sent him crashing to the canvas. Yet, for Shaquille O’Neal, something didn’t seem right.

“Yeah anthony joshua #what script,” O’Neal tweeted. Still throwing around the ‘scripted’ accusation. The Lakers legend believed that the job could have been done sooner. Because in the early rounds, everyone saw Jake circling excessively, tripping, and clinching. In fact, he never posed a serious threat to Anthony. It was all visible that once Paul’s gas tank emptied, he was right in the center of AJ’s punching range and struggled to escape. That’s why it took 6 rounds for the result.

But staying in the fight and suffering a broken jaw in two places also earned Paul respect from his opponent. “Jake Paul’s done really well tonight. I’m going to give him his props. He got up time and time again. I give Jake the respect for trying and trying. He came up against a real fighter tonight,” said Anthony Joshua.

Despite the lopsided result, the bout once again underscored Paul’s ability to generate enormous attention and revenue, even in defeat. That’s why former NBA stars, apart from Gilbert Arenas, were quick to praise the 28-year-old.

Jake Paul is winning hearts despite a loss

Another reason why things are in favor of Paul is that this fight was an impromptu one. First, he was originally scheduled to face lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis in a Nov. 14 exhibition bout at a 195-pound catchweight. Once that fight was canceled, Jake did not sit out and called out a much heavier weight, giving up a 27.4-pound advantage.

Joshua was no slouch either. The former unified champion is one of the best heavyweights of this era. So, former NBA defense master Metta Sandiford-Artest echoed that sentiment, saying his respect for Paul had grown. “@jakepaul is incredible. I definitely respect what he has done.” Another former Lakers champion also supported Jake Paul.

“Jake you a strong man 😮‍💨,” Dwight Howard wrote. While Paul struggled with movement and pace throughout the fight, many still found his durability noteworthy. Plus, Paul even stated that he would return to the ring and continue adding to the win column of his now 12–2 professional record.