"Those cheating b**tards": Shaquille O'Neal mentions an arena where he hated playing in the most due to biased refereeing

NBA players often have cities they enjoy visiting as members of the away team, and there are also cities they dislike. In a recent interview, Shaquille O'Neal pointed out that over his 19 seasons, there was one particular arena he distinctly disliked playing in.

In an interview with GQ Sports, the LA Lakers' big man specifically mentioned Utah as the arena he disliked playing in the most. He stated:

“Utah, because they got all the calls! Always flopping. Once you got into foul trouble, you were not going to have a good game."

He also claimed he was refereed differently in Utah.

“Oh yeah, everyone was! Those cheating b**tards in Utah.”

O'Neal faced off against the Jazz in 23 away games throughout his career. He averaged 21.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in those matchups.

These numbers are lower than his career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.

Utah had the honor of hosting this year's All-Star Weekend, and during the event, Shaq and Charles Barkley exchanged quips about the state.

“These people going to heaven. Ain’t nothing to do in this boring a** city. Can't smoke, can't drink," said Barkley.

Shaq said he had spent most of his time inside his hotel during the event.

“I never ate so much room service in my life,” he said.

Shaquille O'Neal once said the Lakers were trying to avoid the Jazz

Shaquille O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers faced consecutive playoff exits at the hands of the Utah Jazz, with a 4-1 series loss in 1997 followed by a clean sweep of 4-0 in 1998.

When Phil Jackson was named Lakers coach in 1999, he took note of those playoff losses. Shaq said,

"I played for a guy in Phil Jackson that did that. You noticed how we won all those championships and never had to play Utah? When we first got to LA, Utah swept us," O'Neal said.

The big man willingly adhered to Jackson's instructions.

"The man (Jackson) had a great resume so I listened. For me, it was like getting rest," he said.

Despite their previous playoff encounters, Shaq has conveyed his admiration for the Jazz, especially during the John Stockton and Karl Malone era, recognizing how their competition ultimately played a role in pushing the Lakers to become a championship-caliber organization, particularly through the lessons learned during the 1998 sweep.