Shaquille O’Neal named his Mount Rushmore of NBA a**holes he’s played against

Do you see that photo above? Well, you wouldn’t believe if it didn’t come out of Shaq’s mouth, but some of the players there are one of the biggest a**holes that the legendary big man has ever faced in an NBA court. This doesn’t necessarily mean that they are bad people, but mostly that they were extremely rude and over-the-top obnoxious when competing. 

O’Neal’s perspective on the matter is more interesting than most, as he was considered one of the most dominant players to ever grace a basketball court, and his opposition would resort to any kind of alternative to take him out of the game. So Shaq, who spent 20 years in the league with six different franchises, knows a thing or two.

The Hall of Famer faced many players during his time defending the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers and Celtics, including some of the greatest ever like LeBron James and even Michael Jordan.

Shaq and JJ Redick name their Mount Rushmore of NBA a**holes 👀

FULL JJ Redick episode here ⬇️https://t.co/WsQ6OHLG4I pic.twitter.com/sbs0lgtGzV

— The Big Podcast (@bigpodwithshaq) May 2, 2024

Earlier this month, the former player appeared on an episode of his own The Big Podcast with Shaq, alongside JJ Redick to talk about the biggest jerks he’s ever competed against. His list consisted of Gary Payton, Kevin Garnett, Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker.

“Gary Payton was an a**hole,” Shaquille started out by mentioning the Seattle Supersonics icon who even teamed up with him in Los Angeles for a year. “I’ve seen that man talk to all my guards about their mommas, about their wives, about their kids.”

He then continued with an old friend. “Kevin Garnett was an a**hole. Seen him do the same thing,” the big man said about the player who became a Hall of Famer mostly for his time leading the Timberwolves franchise.

“Alonzo Mourning was an a**hole because he always tried to be mean,” Shaq ended his list by mentioning a player with whom he won a championship together in Miami. “And then the last one. Antoine Walker was an a**hole. He talked a lot.”

Garnett once said that Kobe Bryant was the biggest a**hole he ever met in professional basketball

Last year, Kevin Garnett appeared on the Stephen A. Smith show to talk about some of the players he’s most admired during his time in the NBA. Despite his affection for the late Kobe Bryant, he also described him as “the biggest a**hole” he ever met in his life. This just goes to show how complex a person can be, especially when competing in sports.

“He was still that same leader, that same champion at heart. He wanted it so bad. And then, too, let’s just keep it real, man. Kobe saw this sh** the same way I saw it. Killed it and killed. Yes, he did. He was savage at this sh*t,” he told the basketball insider.

“I told Jayson Tatum this, I said, man, your favorite player was probably the biggest a**hole I’ve ever met in my life. He didn’t give no fu*** about it. And when we hit that flow, he knew what it was,” KG recalled.

Despite this being an insult, the Wolves icon made sure everyone understood that he respected him even more for this. “And I loved him for it, man. I miss Kobe every day, man. I look up and we celebrate him like he’s still alive,” the Hall of Famer assured.