The Los Angeles Lakers superstar Shaquille O’Neal has been in the news for a couple days for his rude comment on Rui Hachimura, and the NBA fans are not appreciating it anymore.
Shaquille previously said of the Lakers’ new 25-year-old recruit, Hachimura, “I don’t know who you are.” However, after witnessing the power formant’s mesmerizing display on the hardwood, the legend realized he had made a mistake and apologized.
But the apology gave birth to another controversy, and though we can’t be entirely sure what he did was deliberate or not, Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant didn’t give the former center any passes.
What did Shaquille O’Neal say in his apology that made the NBA fans go bonkers?
On ‘The Big Podcast,’ the four-time NBA champion apologized for his previous statement, saying, “Let me apologize to Rudy Hachimura… He’s giving me Rick Fox vibes. Tough, a pretty good defender… So Rudy Hachimura, I apologize… I know who you are now and I wish you well.”
Even in his apology, O’Neal managed to misspell Rui’s name twice and refer to his team by their previous name, sparking outrage. Durant, the 13-time NBA all-star, went on Twitter and corrected the 7.1-foot monster.
How were the fans’ reactions to Kevin Durant’s tweet?
The Suns’ 34-year-old forward Kevin corrected Shaq on Twitter by writing, “Rui*”
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) February 17, 2023
After realizing what had happened, the NBA community was stunned at the bizarre development. One fan wrote, “At least know the man’s correct name dawg.”
At least know the man's correct name dawg. https://t.co/GIiz97tAIu
— KR 🇭🇲🇵🇭 (@kr_twit_twit) February 17, 2023
KD is my fav type of petty & I love it 😂 https://t.co/H3I32Hy6b7
— Vari (@_variii) February 17, 2023
https://twitter.com/BSTracker1/status/1626684122960732160?s=20
Another fan wrote, “He did dat s*#t on purpose.”
He did dat shit on purpose https://t.co/2zuOzxoY6r
— JB (@BrockJaybee) February 17, 2023
Shaq gonna post his resume again 😂😂😂 https://t.co/UUg2KJeZ8E
— Da11as (@infntye) February 17, 2023
😂😭seems like he still doesn’t know who he is https://t.co/92wQeG6WVi
— Jame$ Backward$ (@majjyboy23) February 17, 2023
They bullied shaq into apologizing lol
— Cody (@nbaguru248) February 17, 2023
We, the fans, also have the same feeling after experiencing such a weird apology. Honestly, it seemed like he was forced to do this as he doesn’t actually know the game. but again, he pulled the same kind of stunt previously with Christian Woods.
Do you think Shaquille O’Neal did that on purpose? or he was still in prank mode? Share your opinions with us.
Whovthe hell cares