Shaquille O’Neal likes to be relevant. He craves attention. He needs it. But with the Finals going on along with the specter of LeBron James always looming over the media, Shaq hasn’t gotten his dose of attention lately. And to get his fix, he’s been taking his neediness to new heights lately.
First, Shaq claimed that he’d take Kobe Bryant over James because of “killer instinct.” Then, it was Shaq claiming that playing with James was the first time in his career he didn’t have to be the leader. And now, it’s Shaq downplaying Bryant’s role in the Lakers’ three-peat dynasty run in a freestyle for Kanye West’s birthday party at Staples Center.
Shaq is still funny and goofy when he wants to be, but his ego makes me want to avoid the NBA entirely because I know he’ll come up at least once or twice in any topic. Along with being one of the most dominant big men in NBA history — which he reminds viewers of as often as he can — he’s also among the most annoying NBA personalities — along with Reggie Miller.
