“NBA on TNT” co-host Shaquille O’Neal is one of the few personalities in the NBA sphere of sports entertainment that doesn’t offer a boatload of controversial takes. But everyone is prone to slipping up, and the NBA Hall-of-Famer and four-time champion is no different.
On his most recent edition of his podcast -- appropriately named “The Big Podcast” -- co-host Nischelle Turner asked Shaq what his thought were regarding Jill Biden’s awful suggestion that the Iowa Hawkeyes should visit the White House after losing to the LSU Tigers in the women’s college basketball title game.
O’Neal surprisingly offered a completely incorrect take, and peddled a common talking point spread by many of his sports anchors colleagues.
“I want people to use their imaginations. You know what it was about. I’m not going to mention it,” Shaq said. “You know what it was about, right?”
“We can say it,” Turner said for Shaq. “It became a race issue. It became a team of all black girls beating a team of all white girls. That’s what it became.”
Actually, it only became a race issue because idiots like O’Neal, Turner, Shannon Sharpe, and others made it a race issue. Was it absolutely ridiculous for Biden to suggest the runners-up of a title game come to the White House? Of course. Coffee is for closers, and the Hawkeyes didn’t close the deal.
But it’s a far cry from being racist. It says more about Biden’s lack of mental aptitude, something she shares with her husband.
This take is not the only nonsensical thing O’Neal has said with regards to the LSU women’s basketball program. He suggested that Tigers forward Angel Reese is the greatest student athlete to come out of LSU ever, both men and women.
"She's probably the greatest athlete to come out of LSU sports," O'Neal said. "You heard it here first. Man and female. See, a lot of us got the package and we still got the package in our truck. She delivered that package. So, you know, there's a lot of names you could throw around – men and women - but she’s probably the greatest athlete.”
Really? Not only is O’Neal an LSU alum, but did he just conveniently forget about Ja’Marr Chase, Odell Beckham Jr., Lolo Jones and Armand Duplantis?
He at least didn’t forget about Joe Burrow and his legendary exploits as a quarterback for the football team, but he claims Reese is the more gifted athlete.
“Joe Burrow got it done a couple of years ago, but she is way more athletic than he is,” O’Neal said. “So, you heard it here first."
It’s hard to say which take is more confusing. Regardless, both are wildly inaccurate.
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