Pelayo: No more Shaqtin’ on McGee?
r
IT TOOK two mommas to step in the beef between four-time NBA champ Shaquille O’Neal and Guinness World Record holder (for dunking three balls in a single jump) JaVale McGee. The skirmish of these two big fellas went far as they took their word war on Twitter. The new Golden State Warrior center who’s been making impressive season-high stats has had enough for his almost regular appearance on Shaq’s TV show segment “Shaqtin’ a Fool” on TNT. JaVale’s mom, former WNBA Star Pamela McGee, has expressed her displeasure as she felt that the show and the host are picking on her son.
McGee’s new teammates in GSW, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green also stepped in to show support for their hardworking center. But it was only when Shaquille’s mother requested her son to cut the crap did Shaq finally listened and complied. Well, at least for now. The postgame television show “Inside the NBA” which has been running for many years now usually analyse the game, the team and the players until they came up with putting up a weekly segment called Shaqtin’ a Fool when the retired NBA star Shaq joined the show.
The segment is clearly a success which has been playing for about 4 seasons. What made JaVale show his frustrations was when he had always been featured on this slice highlighting an apparent on-court mistake. Well, at first, it was really funny. But if the show allows this to happen for five years, it’s becoming tasteless. The sad part is that the producers and the station has allowed to the segment to escalate and cross the line, making other notable personalities to make statements incorporating the words like “cyberbullying,” “threatening,” “cops threaten civilians.” The show let Shaq do it for a long time and O’Neal felt that’s fine to resume because he gets the encouragement.
No disrespect to Shaq though. He was one of the most dominant players to ever play in the NBA. But his show is not “Just For Laughs.” JaVale has family members and friends, and he has already asked to stop. But the Big Aristotle, instead of taking the high road, took a step further and made it worst. Yes, sometimes it’s good to laugh at your own self but it’s inappropriate to make fun of a player almost every week which might take a toll on his career as a professional basketball player.
McGee is playing well now with the Warriors. He probably may not become one of the great centers like Shaq, but he deserves respect as a player and as a person. The first season got its ratings and that should be it. You just can’t keep doing the same joke over and over again to the same audience. Good thing the big mommas intervened to stop the foolishness.