SUMMARY
- Shaq claims that Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett are two of the biggest as*holes he has ever seen in the NBA.
- O'Neal also added Antoine Walker and Alonzo Mourning to this list.
During a recent episode of his well-known podcast, Shaquille O’Neal shared his personal list of the biggest as*holes in NBA history. Most members of the basketball community will be aware that Shaq is a former NBA star. Although he is no longer in the league, O’Neal has remained relevant in the basketball world by transforming into a basketball analyst and commentator.
On the Big Podcast with Shaq, O’Neal was presented with an interesting question. He was asked to share his opinion on a list of players that deserved a spot on the Mt. Rushmore of as*holes. As Mt. Rushmore is usually a term used when asked to reveal the 4 greatest players, associating it with the worst-behaved players in league history is certainly a unique twist.
Shaquille O’Neal believes that Gary Payton was the worst of the lot
Being considered an as*hole is quite a subjective notion. It usually refers to when a player is fundamentally unlikeable and tends to get under others’ nerves. It could also be when stars engage in pointless trash talk and go over the unspoken line in their taunts. The first name that came to Shaq’s mind when deciding who deserves a spot on his Mt. Rushmore for as*holes was Gary Payton.
“Gary Payton was an as*hole. I seen that man talk to all my guards about their mommas about their wives about their kids. Kevin Garnett, seen him do the same thing. Alonzo Mourning was an as*hole cuz he always tried to be mean and then the last one, whos the last one? Antoine Walker was an as*hole. He always talked a lot and every time he hit that shot he always did that fu*kin shimmy. I wanted to kill that f***** one time…”
Shaq continued, “One time we were playing he hit that shot and he hit the shimmy. I’m like alright Antoine, we’ll beat your ass in the back so you better cut that shit out. All these guys so they’ll understand and won’t take it personal.”Although all the players Shaq mentioned may have crossed the line in front of him and earned a spot on his list, one could argue that being considered an as*hole is quite subjective and that Shaq himself may be on a few others’ personal lists.
Some NBA players may claim that Shaq should have a spot on his own list
While Shaq is known for being larger than life, the same can be said about his ego and temper when on the court, there are numerous compilations on social media of Shaquille O’Neal getting into fights and even throwing hands at his opponents.
Since Shaq was also extremely physical and borderline violent when on the court, there are likely a lot of former NBA players who considered him to be an as*hole. In any case, none of them reportedly took things personally and viewed antics of that nature as a part of the game.