Offseason or not, Shaq is always ready to have some fun with the game and the biggest-name players. This time, O’Neal borrowed his “Shaqtin’ a Fool” material (usually seen on TNT’s Inside the NBA) to his IG account, to talk about missed calls this past season.
On the ‘Gram, Shaq posted a number of quick videos from this just-past season, showing superstars like LeBron James and Luka Doncic getting away with some pretty heavy-handed traveling violations in various games.
If you didn’t know, Shaqtin’ a Fool is a super-popular video segment that – as we said – normally airs during regular-season Inside the NBA programs on the TNT network. It first came online in the 2011-12 season, and has been a hit ever since. As the name suggests, it’s hosted by the big man himself, and regularly points out the most hilarious, uncommon or even downright non-basketball-looking plays from around the NBA. The segment has become so famous that we often see players mentioning it while committing a mistake during the game. Kinda like suggesting a certain play or in-game moment is going to make ESPN’s highlight reel for the day’s action.
If you watched many games this year – and we know you did – then you know that traveling violations are pretty much an everyday (dare we say every-game) occurrence in the Association, often with very little attention from the men and women wearing the striped shirts.
That was supposed to change in the 2023 season, as the league office talked about traveling as one of those “points of emphasis” to make sure the rules of the game are properly followed. (Or did we just borrow that “emphasis” term from the NFL? Not sure.)
With or without the emphasis, did it matter? Again, if you watched the game even a little closely, you saw some pretty obvious violations this year. With that in mind, our man Shaq took to IG to post a video of players traveling in various games, all without getting the whistle.
OK, let’s mention some names. The video includes the likes of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, James Harden, and Bradley Beal, all caught on video, clearly taking more than four to five steps, while the referees seemed to completely ignore it. Some of the missed violations gave a clear advantage to the offensive team and the opposition was justifiably left dumbfounded.
Now, having said that, some amateur online analysts have pointed out that O’Neal himself was not the most rule-following of players in his day. Ah well… that’s NBA history for you. And Shaq-story, too. Enjoy the summer, friends!