“I never half a**ed it!” Shannon Sharpe hits back at Shaquille O’Neal for questioning his work ethic

Shannon Sharpe oozes strong work ethic considering his NFL and media successes.

“I never half a**ed it!” Shannon Sharpe hits back at Shaquille O’Neal for questioning his work ethic

Shannon Sharpe hits back at Shaquille O'Neal for questioning his work ethic that made a 7th round pick a Hall of Famer and media star (image via Imago/X)

Shannon Sharpe was a 7th-round pick in the NFL. From there, he went on to become a Hall of Fame member for his efforts on the field. He has continued that in his forays into the media. Therefore, when NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal calls out his work ethic, the former tight end has to reply.

I've never professed that I was as great as Shaq. But what I will say, I got what I got because I worked my a** off. I got everything out of my God given ability. He gave me discipline, he gave me dedication. The way I trained, the way I ate, the way I slept. I never half a**ed it. What I did do, was I maximized that. Nobody will ever say that I was lazy, or I cheated myself.
He took to his podcast Nightcap to respond to Shaquille O’Neal;

The former All-Pro tight end essentially clapped back at O’Neal and suggested that he ask around before questioning his work ethic. He said that he has always predicated his success on the basis of his hard work.

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The backdrop of this comes from when initially Shannon Sharpe called the NBA Hall of Famer jealous of NBA superstar Nikola Jokic for winning his 3rd MVP. To this, O’Neal hit back, suggesting that Sharpe has no place to talk about him as he was more successful and has always worked hard, suggesting that Sharpe did not do so.

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Shannon Sharpe decided to put the former NBA star in his place after the big man posted the work ethic question. Going from a 7th-round pick to a Hall of Fame jacket is different when compared to a No. 1 overall pick winning only 1 MVP in 20 seasons.

Shannon Sharpe and a legacy in the NFL and media built on hard work

For Shannon Sharpe, his beginnings in the NFL were not smooth. After all, he was a 7th-round pick. But by his third season, he had established himself as one of the better tight ends in the game. 

Shannon Sharpe has used the hard work, discipline and dedication from his playing days to be successful in media
Shannon Sharpe has used the hard work, discipline, and dedication from his playing days to be successful in media (image via Imago)

14 seasons later, Sharpe is considered to be arguably one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. All those accolades came from his years of hard work.

After his NFL career, Sharpe took his hard work into the sports broadcasting industry. He was credited with the success of the show Undisputed during his time. Later, he translated that success into ESPN’s First Take. He also hosts a talk show called Club Shay Shay, which has recently won Webby awards and is hitting the roof with viewership ratings.

All this success has come through the hard work, discipline, and dedication he forged during his playing days. Therefore, he was right to call out Shaquille O’Neal for questioning his work ethic.

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