The NBA season is officially off and running, and we know that means a couple of things will be carved in stone, as the cliche goes. First, teams are fresh and (mostly) injury-free, so the action is going to be top-notch. Another thing we know for sure? The boys at Inside the NBA will have plenty of hot takes on the early-season action and the players involved.
It took exactly zero minutes for our man Shaquille O’Neal to have something strong to say about one of the Association’s biggest superstars and the way that player has – shall we say – not started the year with a bang. In fact, the season has just barely started for the big man from Philly.
When the season opened last Thursday night (as of this posting date), Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid was not in uniform. In fact, the team ruled Embiid out for at least three games here at the start of the season, for what the team called knee injury “management.” No, we don’t know what that means, either. Your guess is as good as ours.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
As for Shaq, it didn’t matter what the team, or anyone else, called it. He came right out and said the move was unacceptable here at the start of the season. He called Embiid “soft” for not wanting to play in back-to-back games. Back to back? Embiid hasn’t played in any games. Checking the teams Player Stats page on NBA.com, Embiid shows zeros across the board for points, rebounds, etc. That may change by the time you read this post.
It’s actually gone farther than that. Embiid was the NBA Most Valuable Player Award winner back in 2023. Recently, he told reporters that he would likely not be playing in back-to-back games…for the rest of his career. Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with Shaq, who questioned Embiid’s overall level of desire.
On an episode of his Big Podcast With Shaq, O’Neal literally spelled it out, saying, “You have to want to be that guy. And with his statements the other day, I don’t think Joel wants to be that guy. S. O. F. T.!”
Shaq fans know the stats and know the mindset. A four-time NBA Champion and winner of bunches of awards, O’Neal said that when he played – and he played in most every game – it was his intention to be the best center in every game he suited up for (from 1992 to 2011).
Shaq said he doesn’t think Embiid has any reason to be sitting out, especially with the kind of game he plays for Philly. “You don’t get double teams, you don’t get triple-teamed,” Shaq said. “All he’s doing is pick and pop. Why you tired?!”
Embiid did have some amazing moments last season. In one game, he set the franchise record with 70 points in one contest. Now Shaq is questioning Embiid’s level of desire. “If you can drop 70 when you’re pissed off, you can average 40,” Shaq said.
As for his “play every other day” idea, the NBA has already announced it’s looking into the legalities of that decision, if it might violate the league’s player participation policy. Never heard of it? Use either, but it seems like a good idea, in theory, at least. It’s meant to prevent teams from resting otherwise healthy players, for whatever reason.
We know what whenever Shaq expresses strong opinions about players, it usually creates a buzz and questions from other reporters. We’re looking at you, Rudy Gobert. As for Embiid, he’s yet to respond. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s got a response to Shaq’s “soft” suggestion.