Pistons fans aren’t happy with a certain basketball Hall of Famer.
NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal twice this week has made his opinions about the resurgent Pistons known, and they haven’t been well received by the Detroit faithful.
First, during an appearance on “The Big Podcast,” the man known as Shaq called the Pistons “boring” and said they weren’t worth talking about despite sitting in a tie for fourth in the Eastern Conference one season after going 14-68.
“You want to brag about a team that’s 32-26? Stop it,” Shaq told Adam Lefkoe. “That’s not success. 40-20. We talked about it. Bro, Detroit Pistons ain’t winning no [expletive] championship. Stop it.”
Pistons fans quickly took to social media to defend their team, which improved to 37-29 with a win against the Wizards on Tuesday night.
Shaq changed his tune a bit on Tuesday, praising the Pistons on TNT’s postgame show, but that goodwill quickly went out the window when he claimed the team is coached by Chauncey Billups, who won the 2004 Finals MVP with Detroit.
“Cade Cunningham — a great player now, he plays at his own pace. Anybody that can consistently play at their own pace and put up numbers is a great player,” O’Neal said of Detroit’s All-Star guard. “I like the way he’s playing. I like what Chauncey’s doing. Those guys play hard.”
Who?
Billups, sure, is one of the greatest players in Pistons history, but he’s currently the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Co-host Candace Parker didn’t let Shaq’s mistake slide.
“No, I can’t let this go. Who’s doing it?” Parker asked. “You said Chauncey?”
“Chauncey’s the coach, right?” O’Neal responded.
After his colleagues informed the former center that J.B. Bickerstaff coaches the Pistons, O’Neal doubled down on the disrespect.
“First of all, I don’t watch Detroit. How about that, boo-boo?” he said. “I messed up. I made a mistake.”
Perhaps the 15-time All-Star still has some bad blood for the way the 2004 Finals went. Or maybe it was just a slip. Either way, Shaq’s popularity in the Motor City has taken a hit this week.
Detroit will look for its 38th win of the season in a rematch with the Wizards on Thursday