Shaq says Ben Simmons needs to be ‘f–king arrested’ in wild evisceration of modern NBA
Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t seem thrilled with how the modern NBA is played.
And he really doesn’t seem to be a fan of former Net and current Clipper Ben Simmons.
During an episode of “The Big Podcast” this week, O’Neal sat down with comedian Roy Wood Jr. and opened up on the state of basketball, which the Basketball Hall of Famer was not particularly keen on.
“People get mad. It’s just a product of what I’ve seen,” O’Neal said when asked about LeBron James’ longevity being tied to the change in physicality in the NBA. “I’ve seen what greatness is, been there, played with ’em. I don’t see that all the time over here. So, you want me to give these motherf–kers the same props you giving them? That s–t will never happen. You can call it hate if you want.”
And while O’Neal said he and fellow “Inside the NBA” panelist Charles Barkley have been criticized for calling out the modern game as compared to how things were played in the 1990s and early 2000s, O’Neal continued that the “product is s–t.”
O’Neal did concede that certain players — namely Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Nikola Jokic and Damian Lillard can play — but he was not a big fan of Simmons, the oft-injured star.
“But Ben Simmons [needs] to be f–king arrested. $250 [million] for that bulls–t? Get the f–k out of my face. Robbing people, man. You can’t do that.”
Simmons, the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 by the 76ers, immediately began his career with impressive feats, winning Rookie of the Year before getting named to three straight All-Star teams.
In 2019, he and Philadelphia agreed to a $170 million contract extension, but in most of the subsequent seasons, he’s had trouble staying on the court.
He missed all of 2021-22 with an injury, and after the deal that landed him in Brooklyn and sent James Harden to the 76ers, Simmons missed large chunks of times with various injuries and did not put up the same All-Star numbers he had in Philadelphia.
Simmons was eventually bought out by the Nets earlier this year before signing with the Clippers, with whom he’s played the last 17 games and averaged 3.6 points and 3.4 assists in 17.5 minutes.
According to Spotrac, Simmons has made $203,356,689 in career earnings through 2024.
Simmons told The Post’s Jared Schwartz at the end of March that he finally feels at home in Los Angeles.
“Feels like home, honestly,” Simmons said. “I never really felt like New York was home for me. Being in LA, I feel like me as a person, it’s my kind of scenery or environment to be in. I think I thrive in situations like that. It was a blessing and a great experience to be in New York and experience being in New York City, there’s no city in the world like it.
“But I’m happy where I’m at, I love being in LA.”
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