Shaquille O’Neal’s resume speaks for itself; he’s in the Basketball Hall of Fame for good reason.
Four-time NBA champion with the Lakers and Heat, the 2000 NBA MVP, and 15 NBA All-Star selections, need we go on?
However, O’Neal’s matters off the hardwood have recently come into light, and it’s not in support of the legendary center.
Kendrick Perkins Accused Shaq of Bullying While They Were Both with the Celtics
During O’Neal’s final NBA season in the 2010-11 season, he was with the Boston Celtics, where he shared the court with another center, current NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins, who was a part of Boston’s 2008 championship team.
In an episode of his “Road Trippin'” podcast, Perkins brought one mishap in particular that involved O’Neal and that didn’t sit well with Perkins.
When a locker room brawl broke out between Delonte West and Von Wafer, Perkins says that the legendary big man was encouraging the fight.
“Von Wafer is leaking,” Perkins said. “This is bullying at this point. You know when somebody wanna fight, and you know when somebody don’t wanna fight. Von had no intentions on fighting or doing none of that. That man just wanted to compete, go home, and let the chips fall where they may. Shaq in there, ‘Oh, (expletive). Oh, (expletive). Let’s take it in the bathroom. He gotta get his lick back.’ I’m like, ‘Man, sit your big (expletive) down, man, instigating that (expletive).’”
Midway through the 2010-11 season, Perkins was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and O’Neal retired at the conclusion of the season, which saw the Celtics finish 56-26.
