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Shaquille O’Neal flamed Ben Simmons as the Brooklyn Nets guard sits out the remainder of the NBA season with back issues.
Earlier this month, the 27-year-old got ruled out for the season due to a nerve impingement in his lower back. The Athletic also reported that Simmons was exploring treatment options for the injury.
On the latest episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the Hall-of-Famer did not hold back when co-host Adam Lefkoe asked him and Jamal Crawford which NBA player they would pay to see.
‘Ben Simmons because I’d wanna learn how you can make $80 million and play 55 games,’ O’Neal quickly responded. ‘Teach me.’
‘Teach me how you can f***ing play 55 games in three seasons and get $30m, $40m, and get another $40m just by saying your back hurt.’
Shaquille O’Neal slammed Ben Simmons for sitting out the NBA season with back issues
Jamal, Shaq, and Adam reveal which NBA players they’d pay to watch live 👀Episode 14 is LIVE now: pic.twitter.com/Dvek81gkTu
— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) March 27, 2024
On March 7, the Nets guard was ruled out due to a nerve impingement in his lower back
‘Get some f***ing Icy H๏τ, man up,’ O’Neal added.
Simmons appeared in 15 games for Brooklyn this season, with his last coming in a 111-86 win against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 26.
The former LSU Tiger’s back issues first came to light when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers. Aside from the point guard’s reported mental struggles, the physical strain caused Simmons to miss the 2021-22 season.
Last season, Simmons clocked in for 42 games with his lingering back issues and knee ailments. Brooklyn finished sixth in the Eastern Conference before getting swept by the 76ers in the first round of the playoffs.
A former No. 1 pick, Simmons was an All-Star from 2019 through 2021 before his fallout with Philadelphia and frustrating tenure in Brooklyn.
Simmons played in 15 games for Brooklyn this season, averaged 6.1 points and 7.9 rebounds
This season, Simmons averaged 6.1 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 5.7 ᴀssists while shooting 58.1 per cent from the field. His team sits 11th in the Eastern Conference with a 28-45 record late in the season.
O’Neal had previously been critical of Simmons and labeled him a crybaby during his time in Philadelphia. The NBA Hall-of-Famer also regarded Simmons as Joel Embiid’s ‘soft partner.’
‘The difference between him (Embiid) and his soft partner is he can take criticism without being a crybaby and he still wants to play,’ O’Neal said on Inside the NBA.
‘The other guy [Simmons], I don’t respect and I’ve been thinking about it, he’s missing the whole season because they asked your coach a question, ‘can we win with you?’ and your coach gave a funny answer to tell you in the summertime you need to work on your game.’
