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Jan 19, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal sits courtside during the first half between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
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Jan 19, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Former NBA player Shaquille O’Neal sits courtside during the first half between the Florida Gators and the LSU Tigers at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images
The Phoenix Suns are in trouble, and Shaquille O’Neal knows exactly what that looks like. After weeks of underwhelming performances, it seems Kevin Durant has finally hit his breaking point. A tense exchange between the Suns star and his head coach during a recent game made it clear that frustration is boiling over—and fans didn’t miss a second of it.
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For Shaq, the situation feels familiar. But while he sees the parallels, he also recognizes a major concern.
On the latest episode of Inside the NBA, Shaquille O’Neal was asked about Kevin Durant’s recent actions that have been making waves. During a timeout in the Suns’ matchup against the Clippers, Durant was caught on camera pulling his hand away from head coach Mike Budenholzer in the middle of a heated exchange.
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Though the confrontation didn’t last long, it was enough to grab fans’ attention. In the end, the Phoenix Suns managed to escape with a narrow 119-117 win over the Clippers, but the moment between Durant and Budenholzer left plenty of questions hanging.
Speaking about the odd gesture, O’Neal was reminded of his own playing days in the league and just how rebellious he himself had been. “I don’t want to be a hypocrite. Because I was that guy. I was tough to coach. But when you’re the leader of the team, I realized that it sets a bad example. Right now, the team is not doing well. And with you being the best player, they are going to look at you.”
He added, “Everybody’s disappointed in what they’re doing right now. I don’t think Kevin should have did that. But again, I don’t want to be a hypocrite. I’ve done that plenty. But as a leader, it’s something that you’re not supposed to do.”
Well, this all might actually be a simple discussion. Back in December, Durant and the head coach were spotted engaged in a fierce argument during a timeout in the Suns’ 133-125 loss to the Pistons. Although Durant assured that it wasn’t anything serious, two such incidents in a short time have clearly raised eyebrows.
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Dec 28, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) during a timeout against the Golden State Warriors in the first quarter at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images
And the rumors of a potential trade have once again been fueled. Shams Charania’s latest report hints at the same. With Kyrie Irving out for the season, the Mavs are also in the rumors. O’Neal is aware of how that could affect the Suns and the rest of the players who have been struggling. While he admitted that his slight rebellious nature against coaches wasn’t right, his opinion of them might not have changed much!
Shaquille O’Neal refuses to accept coaches’ role in team wins
The Los Angeles Lakers have an odd belief when it comes to coaches. He believes that despite the experienced coaches, it is ultimately the players who have to play the games and win. He dismisses the coach’s contribution. While it saves them from Shaq’s criticism during losses, it also takes away their credit during wins. Surprisingly, he had the same opinion of his own former coaches, Phil Jackson and Pat Riley.
“When I lost and got swept, it had nothing to do with the coach. Me. All me. Because I’m driving the bus, coaching doesn’t matter,” O’Neal said on NBA On TNT. The 4x NBA champ has many times narrated several instances where he had disagreements or clashes with his coaches. Riley is well known to have stormy disagreements with his players over his discipline and work ethic.
And his TNT colleague Charles Barkley doesn’t really share the same opinion. “Every time Shaq says that it sounds stupid or every time. Coaching is important and it might not be important to a superstar which first of all I believe it’s important but I think it’s really important for your role players and guys like that,” Chuck once told Shaq. However, the 4x NBA champ prefers to stick to his opinion. Well, just like he said, tension between the coach and the player, especially the captain, can become problematic for the team.
Written by
Edited by
Tanay Sahai