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Shaquille O’Neal, Who Dissed Lonzo Ball’s Father in 2017, Enjoys NBA Star’s Savage Taunt to Stephen a Smith

Published 08/26/2023, 3:48 PM EDT

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It’s been 589 days since Lonzo Ball last suited up for the Chicago Bulls. Before Lonzo went down with his injury, the Bulls were the number-one team in the East. They had the third-best defense in the league and were destined for a deep playoff run with their two other stars, Zach LaVine, and DeMar DeRozan.

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal was not always fond of the Ball family and LaVar Ball’s antics. But recently, the Diesel shared Lonzo Ball’s response to Stephen A. Smith’s bizarre comments about Lonzo Ball’s injury.

Shaq enjoyed Lonzo’s response despite beef with LaVar

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Shaquille O’Neal has had beef with LaVar Ball since May 2017. This started when the legend noticed the shoes released by the Big Baller Brand went for close to $500. This made Shaq tweet out that ‘real big baller brands don’t over charge kids for shoes’.

Read More: “Stop Doing Podcasts and Play Lil Bro”: 8x All-Star’s Bold Claim About Lonzo Ball Leaves NBA World in Disbelief

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LaVar replied by saying that he and his son LaMelo Ball would completely destroy Shaq and his son Shareef O’Neal in a 2-on-2 match. This eventually led to Shaq releasing a diss track where he mentioned his own achievements and that LaVar averaged just 2.2 points in Washington State. But even then, Shaq credited him for bringing up two incredibly talented kids. Both Lonzo and Melo are now in the league and are exceptional players.

Lonzo Ball recently posted a clip in response to Stephen A. Smith’s comments on his injury. Shaq shared this clip on his Instagram story, showing his support for the young star.

Stephen A. Smith gave an update on Lonzo Ball’s injury on ESPN’s First Take. Stephen A. Smith claimed that he has people tell him that Lonzo Ball’s injury is so bad that he can’t even stand up from a sitting position. This forced Lonzo to release a video of him standing up from a sitting position with just one leg. Lonzo went on to ask Stephen A. Smith who his sources are and said in the video “Stop yapping“.

Lonzo ended the video by saying that he was coming back. Is this a possible sign of his return to the Bulls next season?

Lonzo with the Bulls was special

The Chicago Bulls traded for Lonzo Ball in the 2021 offseason. This was after Ball signed a 4-year, 85-million-dollar deal with the New Orleans Pelicans. The Bulls also acquired DeMar DeRozan a few days later. This solidified their playoff position, but the team had higher goals.

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USA Today via Reuters

Lonzo was just the right piece for the Bulls to add in order to complement all their players. They have their star player, Zach Lavine, who can go and get a bucket whenever he wants. But he was not the same in defense. This is where Lonzo could help with his exceptional IQ and skills on the defensive end. And being a tall point guard at 6 feet 6 inches, Lonzo was everything the Bulls needed to bring the team together.

It worked out just as the Bulls hoped. DeRozan, with his experience, was a leader for the team. He also took over some of the scoring load from Zach Lavine, and the two of them averaged 28 points and 25 points, respectively. And with Lonzo running the point, they climbed up to be the number one team in the East.

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Everything looked good for Lonzo and the Bulls until a match against the Golden State Warriors in January 2022. Lonzo Ball went down with an injury. The Bulls later reported that he had torn his meniscus and would be out for the season. Ball went on to have two surgeries on his knee and later missed the 2022–2023 season as well. It was reported in May 2023 that Lonzo may need to have a third surgery on his knee. The fans and players are hoping for the young star to get back on the court as soon as he can. This new video from Lonzo is definitely a good sign that he is recovering properly.

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Written by:

Rijin Varghese

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Rijin is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He has been following the NBA for over a decade. He likes to learn about the nuances of sports, understand every player's contribution to a team, and also learn the logic behind player signings and team building.
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Edited by:

Saumya Khanduja