The NBA voting system is the scapegoat when the regular season awards are announced one by one. Fans have different winners in their minds, and when the official announcement is made, it is tough for them to digest someone else. Over the last few years, the voting system in the NBA has often been criticized. On a few occasions, deserving stars have been robbed of their honors which has led to a lot of controversy. However, Shaquille O’Neal is here with an interesting idea, to make voting more accurate, but that might offend a few famous figures. 

On his show The Big Podcast, former Clippers star JJ Redick asked Shaq for a solution to end the controversial voting in the NBA. Without hesitation, the Los Angeles Lakers legend shared, “It should be Hall of Famers and ex-players only. 50 Hall of Famers, and 50 ex-players. That’s it. That’s how voting should be. All these earthlings like Stephen. A. [Smith], and Shannon Sharpe, and you know, Mad Dog…They shouldn’t get votes.“

Stephen. A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe are currently the co-hosts for the First Take on ESPN. Smith has not played professional basketball, and on the other hand, Shannon Sharpe was a football tight end in the NFL back then. Shaq wants the voters to have first-hand experience of playing in the NBA. However, the league is currently using a different method to collect votes. 

For instance, Inside the NBA, has three former basketball players, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaq. But their other co-host Ernie Johnson, who is a broadcasting legend, has a vote for the regular season awards. This is something Shaq wishes to change. Barkley, Smith, and Shaq are analysts of the game, but they do not have a chance to vote sadly. Moreover, there is a reason why Shaq pulled the names of Stephen. A, and Shannon Sharpe to highlight why the current voting is wrong. 

Stephen. A. Smith and Shannon Sharpe’s difference in choices for MVP

The MVP voting is going to be a tight race this year. Not two, but there have been three top candidates who are favorites to win the MVP this year. Nikola Jokic from the Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the OKC Thunder, and Luka Doncic from the Dallas Mavericks. On the First Take, Smith announced loud and clear that he was likely to vote for Gilgeous-Alexander, but Sharpe seemed to have a problem with it. 

Sharpe replied to Smith, “Stephen A. if you vote for Shai Gilgeous for MVP it’s just like voting for the third party in an election…You’re wasting your vote. That’s all you can do because you know you don’t got it.” Sharpe has the Denver Nuggets center on his mind for the MVP. This shows the difference in opinion the two have. Many analysts have different winners in their minds, but when it comes to a situation like this, voters who have played in the NBA before might have better insights, to make the right decision. Let’s see if Shaq’s idea gets approved.