Despite the popularity of the beloved TNT show Inside the NBA, it has received a lot of backlash over recent years, and that is mostly aimed in the direction of Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaq is not only one of the most accomplished players in NBA history, but he has seemingly embraced the nonchalant, hating, and "casual" basketball analysis role in modern-day NBA media. He takes every opportunity to criticize, take direct shots at players, or even openly admit he doesn't watch certain teams, and that's a huge problem with the state of modern-day NBA media.
Shaq doesn't know who coaches the Pistons
The most recent example came on Tuesday evening when a clip surfaced of Shaq congratulating Chauncey Billups on the job he's done coaching the Pistons when he's the coach of the Trail Blazers, not the Pistons.
Candance Parker wouldn't allow Shaq to continue speaking by saying, "No, I can't let this go. Who's doing it? You said, Chauncey?"
Shaq responded in confusion, saying, "Chauncey is the coach, right?" Everyone laughed it off jokingly and Shaq would then follow it up by doubling down saying, "First of all, I don't watch Detroit. How about that, boo boo."
This didn't bode well with the Pistons' admin, who replied on X with a savage response. Detroit posted a picture of Shaq upset on the bench, stating, "Overlooked us in 2004, overlooking us in 2025," after the Pistons beat the Lakers in the NBA Finals that season.
This is one of the many examples of Shaq not only being a "casual" but also embracing the role of an analyst who doesn't watch the games, which isn't good for the sport. You have one of the biggest NBA shows in the world, and the man leading the way spews negativity out of his mouth all the time.
Shaq beefing with Dwight Howard
Shaq has a long history of beefing with both modern and retired players, and this is nothing new coming from him. Some of the most notable beefs Shaq has had in recent memory have been with Dwight Howard, Rudy Gobert, Kevin Durant, and more recently, Zion Williamson.
Dwight Howard and Shaq have a long history of tension, and this more than likely comes from Howard having a successful career with the Orlando Magic and claiming the "Superman" nickname. Howard got on a podcast back in January and said, "Do we need to throw hands?"
Dwight talked about the history between him and Shaq and how it's never been friendly. Shaq took the time to respond as always and said, "The fact u think I care about u is funny, but I won't ever bring your name up again sensitive big man, a jokester that can’t take a joke."
"Won't ever say your name again ever again," Shaq added. "Have a great day, and now u have been deleted. Have a great day."
Howard didn't allow Shaq to say those things without chiming in himself, saying, '"I know you care...you too big to be this insecure. I hope you don’t bring my name up again. 52 years old tweeting me. And still hating. Now, all this time, you was joking."
"Go move around, big lazy insecure a**," Howard added. "I still have that long five-paragraph direct message you sent me a couple years ago telling me that I’m not that great to hate. And you still doing it. It’s 2025 grow the h*** up."
Shaq Beefs with KD
When Rui Hachimura was traded from the Wizards to the Lakers, Shaq openly admitted he didn't know who he was.
"If you ain't a top 10 player, I don't know who you are," Shaq said. "I'm not watching the Bullets or the Wizards."
KD quoted the tweet and said, "Shaquille doesn’t know ball?"
Shaq took the chance to be petty and responded under a video of KD talking about the J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar beef and he said, "I don’t kno ball, but I kno how to brush my hair, or decide to cut it when I was going bald. love always THE BUS DRIVER."
The bus driver comment comes from when Durant and the Brooklyn Nets got swept by the Celtics in their first-round playoff series. Charles Barkley called Durant a “bus rider” questioning his two championship rings with Golden State.
Shaq beefs with Gobert
Shaq has continued to beef with Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, and it began when Shaq called Gobert the worst player of all time in an interview with Complex Magazine.
“I’m going to tell you why. Because if you sign a contract for $250 (million), show me 250,” Shaq said. “There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck, and why I can’t do it because I played for my $120 (million). So you got guys like him that f*** the system over, and they’re making all this money, and they can’t f****** play. So I don’t respect guys like that.”
Gobert responded: "It's sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did [Shaq] both in sport and business still be triggered by another man's finances and accomplishments... I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don't need that stuff to stay relevant."
Shaq criticizes Zion Williamson
On Tuesday evening, Zion Williamson recorded a triple-double in a 127-120 victory over the Clippers in one of his best performances of the season. Williamson tallied 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists as he shot an efficient 8-of-13 from the field and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
"You giving him props for that?" O'Neal said. "I need more. Anybody can get 20 points now. That's not good enough. I'm not impressed by that."
Instead of praising Zion and the performance he had, Shaq would rather take the time out of his day to hate and criticize for absolutely zero reason. In the span of 24 hours, Shaq managed to hate on the Pistons for being 'boring' and Zion for not having an impressive performance.
One of the reasons we've seen a decline in the viewership of the game is because of modern-day NBA analysts constantly scrutinizing, hating, and knocking the modern game and it's players.
Shaq is the epitome of why so many current players and fans do not like him and his personality on air. It may come across as lighthearted or funny, but when you have a large platform as he has, those comments can be destructive.
Shaq continues to be jealous, envious, and bitter towards modern players who have success both on and off the court. This level of lazy and rude commentary is simply bad for the game of basketball.