Shaquille O’Neal takes aim at Chris Bosh – yet again: NBA Update
Shaquille O’Neal sure knows how to attract controversy.
The NBA legend has been in the limelight ever since he hung his boots. In the past few weeks, the excerpts of his new book have created uproar in the NBA circles and now he has once again taken a shot at Miami Heat star Chris Bosh.
The former Los Angeles Lakers centre has criticized Bosh in the past and once again made some stinging remarks about the Heat power forward in an interview.
Bosh’s profile has been significantly raised since he left the Toronto Raptors last summer and joined Miami. Bosh became a part of the Big Three that also comprises of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in doing so and therefore has
been constantly in the limelight.
Many believe that whilst James and Wade are tremendously gifted basketball players, Bosh is not quite in the same category. O’Neal said in the interview that Bosh was simply lucky to be surrounded by such talent.
“Some guys come into the league without a ton of props, so there’s not a whole lot of pressure on them. Then they sign a big deal and all of a sudden they’re thrown into the spotlight. Chris Bosh is like that.” Shaq said in an
interview reported by Palm Beach Post.
O’Neal contended that Bosh was an All-Star level player, but he wasn’t as good as he believed himself to be. In comparison, LeBron and Wade are among the very best in the NBA; one is a two time NBA MVP award winner while the other
has a NBA Finals MVP award in the locker.
“He’s getting all this attention, so he starts believing he’s really good. C’mon now. We know better. He’s a player who can put up some numbers, but he’s not an elite player.”
O’Neal pointed to Bosh’s record with the Toronto Raptors as proof that his billing as an elite player was way off the mark. Chris was the franchise player at Toronto for many years but the team never materialized into a strong
force in the NBA. In fact, it was the lack of competitiveness of the Raptors that was sighted as a reason by Bosh for his departure.
“He was in Toronto eight years and they were never a factor, never a playoff team. Don’t get with those other two guys and start pounding your chest. I ain’t buying it, and I’m not the only one.”
Shaq has also taken aim at Chris Bosh in the past, notably during last season’s NBA Finals, which the Heat lost in 6 games to the Dallas Mavericks. Bosh was completely outplayed in the series by his opposite number, Dirk Nowitzki
of the Mavs, who walked away with the Finals MVP award.
To his credit though, Bosh put up significant numbers through the playoffs and ranked higher than LeBron James in the Finals series.
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