“Y’all be giving out a lot of these awards to some of these bums.… What did I say about Donovan Mitchell 2 years ago?” - Shaquille O'Neal not a fan of the NBA world calling good players ‘superstars’

Hall-of-Fame big man Shaquille O'Neal has been saying for years that NBA fans have gotten soft in calling players superstars. He contends that good players, by convenient definition, have become superstars as well.

The former LA Lakers big man doubled down on that contention on an episode of "The Big Podcast with Shaq." When asked by co-host Nischelle Turner if he still considers Philadelphia 76ers point guard James Harden a superstar, Shaq said:

“Y’all be giving out a lot of these awards to some of these bums and I’m like, ‘What!?’ For example, what did I say about Donovan Mitchell two years ago? Everybody jumping on me and hating and I be quiet. What’s he doing now?... Is that what superstars do?”

The controversial incident actually happened last year, on January 22, 2021, when Shaquille O'Neal conducted one of the weirdest interviews ever. O'Neal backed Utah Jazz three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell into a difficult situation, stating:

“By the way, this is Shaq. I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players, but you don’t have what it takes to get to that next level. I said it on purpose. I want you to hear it. What do you have to say about it?”

Donovan Mitchell was so stunned it took a few moments for him to compose himself before defiantly answering:

“Shaq, I’ve been hearing that since my rookie year. I’m just going to get better and do what I do.”

Shaquille O'Neal’s backhanded compliment was not taken kindly by the league’s biggest superstars. LeBron James and Kevin Durant felt like O'Neal went too far with his comments.

A few months after the bizarre exchange on TV, Shaquille O’Neal would defend his comments as his way of motivating Donovan Mitchell.

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The Utah Jazz’s frustrating loss to the Dallas Mavericks is giving Shaquille O'Neal more fuel

Shaquille O'Neal just got more ammunition after the Utah Jazz were eliminated in 6 games by the Dallas Mavericks. [Photo: Reddit]

O'Neal made the comment about Donovan Mitchell after Game 5, when Mitchell scored just nine points. In a win-or-go-home situation at home against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, Mitchell failed to lead Utah to a series-tying win in Game 6.

What was even more embarrassing was the fact that Doncic only played three games in the series.

To Mitchell’s credit, he played very well outside of his Game 5 struggles. However, his individual brilliance wasn't enough, just as it wasn't enough in each of Utah’s last five postseasons.

There was a sense of finality after the Utah Jazz left their home floor. The dynamic duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert may give way to something new.

Whatever the case may be, Shaquille O'Neal will remain convinced that Mitchell is a good but not great player unless he can turn things around.

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