Shaquille O’Neal takes sly jibe at Doc Rivers after predicting Milwaukee Bucks to be threat in East
Shaquille O'Neal gave his championship predictions for the upcoming NBA season while taking a jab at Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers.
Shaquille O'Neal takes a jab at Bucks HC Doc Rivers
If there’s anything certain about Shaquille O’Neal, it’s that he doesn’t mince his words. The Hall of Fame center has never been shy of making his opinions loud and clear. With the NBA season fast approaching, everyone’s waiting to see which team breaks out of the pack and stands out.
In Shaq’s eyes, this year’s breakout team will be the Milwaukee Bucks. The former Lakers center took to his podcast to talk about his picks for the upcoming NBA season. When asked about his pick to win the championship this year, Shaq named the Milwaukee Bucks as his favorites to win a ring.
Shaq believes the Milwaukee Bucks should be considered the favorites to win the championship
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 16, 2024
(? @bigpodwithshaq / https://t.co/LGgRWrVvc2) pic.twitter.com/ebEjV7i5mV
In the process of picking his champions, Shaq didn’t back down from taking a jab at Bucks head coach Doc Rivers. Rivers and Shaq have a long history dating back to the lumbering center’s playing days with the Boston Celtics in 2010 where he played under Rivers.
When co-host Adam Lefkoe brought up Rivers coaching presence as the primary obstacle for the Bucks to win big, Shaq didn’t hesitate before agreeing.
Given Rivers’ hefty resume as a championship-winning head coach in the NBA, the sly jab might seem out of place. However, a number of teams coached by Rivers over the last decade have followed a shaky trajectory, often fizzling out during the playoffs. With a roster filled with stars like Damian Lillard, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Khris Middleton, the pressure is on for Rivers and the Bucks to win a championship this year.
Shaquille O’Neal and Doc Rivers join hands for ‘Timeout’
While Shaquille O’Neal and Doc Rivers may have history on the hardwood, it didn’t stop the two from uniting for Robert Kraft’s latest campaign. The “#TimeOut Against Hate” was started by New England Patriots CEO Robert Kraft as a response to growing racist outbursts in the sports and global atmosphere.
Shaq and Rivers will star in a number of advertisements to promote the campaign, which will feature across almost all major professional sports leagues in the nation. The two NBA legends will be joining hands alongside other sporting icons such as Billie Jean King, Candace Parker, and Jim Harbaugh.
While two of the most successful NBA icons might throw jabs at each other, they know when to put aside their issues and join hands for the greater good.
Anubhav Bajpeyee
(238 Articles Published)