Next season, the NBA’s new TV deal begins which will bring about some new faces in analyst roles. The popular Inside the NBA show with Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal will continue on, but with NBC now being a part of the TV rights, new shows and new analysts are coming aboard as well. And one of those is the man who many consider the greatest player in NBA history, Michael Jordan.
Jordan has never been a regular TV analyst before, and in this era, where everything gets clipped and shared on social media so quickly, those on TV can come under fire for some of their takes. But Shaq feels this shouldn’t be the case when it comes to Jordan.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend was recently interviewed by Ashley Nevel and when asked whether he feels Jordan might come off as a hater if he’s too honest, O’Neal responded that players should take the word of Jordan as gospel:
“First of all, if anybody says Michael Jordan is hating, you’re an idiot. This man is the only man on earth with G19 classification. G19, higher than the president of the United States classification. Like, of course, there’s a president, but this guy is a guy that can go behind the doors and get shit done. So, if Jordan says, ‘I don’t think this guy is good.’ You’re not that f—ng good. I don’t care how many points you’re averaging. If Jordan says he you should do this, you should do it. Like, a lot of times instead of being into your feelings, just listen to what the greatest player who’s ever played the game has to say. I would love to be playing right now in the drill. Yeah. Like Shaq tries to go to the middle. Maybe he should use finesse game. You know what I’m going to do when I hear that shit? I’m going to go home and practice all my finesse game. And then the next game I’m going to be trying to show Mike that, ‘Hey, Mr. Jordan, I have finesse in my game, too.’”
There is a thin line between constructive criticism and insults and hate and balancing that line is imperative when it comes to being a respected analyst. Jordan is the GOAT to many and his advice should be taken very seriously by players if he is giving it, but the way things are worded and explained matters as well.
Shaq is no stranger to beefs as a member of the media as he never holds back with his opinion and as one of the greatest centers in NBA history, he has more than a right to speak what he feels. How Jordan comes off in this analyst role will be extremely interesting as many players have no problems speaking back to anyone if they feel disrespected.
Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal named Men’s Basketball GM at Sacramento State University
In addition to his job as an analyst on Inside The NBA, Shaquille O’Neal recently added another big job to his resume.
The Lakers legend was named Men’s Basketball General Manager at Sacramento State University where former Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby was recently named head coach.
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