'It's hard to be on top forever' - Shaquille O'Neal extends his sympathies to Conor McGregor

Retired NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal offers Conor McGregor condolences for his loss to Dustin Poirier at UFC 257, the third in Conor McGregor's UFC career.

Widely regarded as one of the best basketball players of all time, O'Neal retired in 2011 when he was playing at Boston Celtics. O'Neal won four NBA titles throughout his 19 seasons long career, being three times the Most Valuable Player in the finals.

Speaking to ESPN's Marc Raimondi, the former Los Angeles Lakers' center praised Conor McGregor for all of his UFC achievements so far. O'Neal gave the Irishman some words of encouragement for whenever he decides to return to the octagon.

"It is hard to be on top forever, you know what I am saying? [Conor McGregor] took a leave. He was absent for a while. He became quite the businessman, but it's hard to be on top all the time. When you are on top, a lot of people want your position so... like, they know you are training two hours a day, well, they want your spot so they will train four hours a day. It happens to the best of us," said O'Neil. "Look, there's only one guy out there that has not ever taken defeat, and that's the great Floyd Mayweather. Everybody else: we won, we lost, we come back, we lost again. We fall off, and we come back again. There is only one guy who can say, 'I have never lost to anyone. I don't know how that feels like.' And that's the great Floyd Mayweather."

VIDEO: The one and only @SHAQ chats with me about his new “Shaq Bowl” before the Super Bowl, wanting to see McGregor vs. Poirier 3, Nate Diaz, alley-oops and who he wants Jake Paul to box https://t.co/3o6A7iuhVB

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) January 28, 2021

Raimondi was quick to correct O'Neal and remind him that retired UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov was also never defeated. The retired basketballer excused himself:

"Yes, yes. I apologize. I apologize about that. Him too," said O'Neal.

While he wants to see a Poirier-McGregor trilogy, Shaquille O'Neal told @marc_raimondi he'd like to see Conor fight Nate Diaz next.Do you agree with @SHAQ? pic.twitter.com/mG20vS76s3

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) January 28, 2021

Dustin Poirier believes Conor McGregor will have a successful comeback

UFC 257 Poirier v McGregor: Weigh-Ins

Talking about his win over Conor McGregor at UFC 257 with ESPN's Ariel Helwani, Dustin Poirier discussed how respectful his opponent behaved before and after the fight.

"I'm not surprised by that. To [be humble] before is one thing, and then to lose in that fashion, and then still be that guy... Good for him. Nothing but respect for the guy. He was very respectful all week. And, you know, he got knocked down, and it happens to all of us. And this guy's a champion, and the ground is no place for a champion," said Poirier.

The No. 1 lightweight contender believes that Conor McGregor can return to his glory days if he focuses on that:

"And I have said it before, and I will say it again. He will rise if he wants to. He will get back up, dust himself off, and see what's next. But he was very respectful all week. And that's all I got to say about it," said Poirier.