Shaquille O’Neal has never hesitated to take shots at NBA players for their performance and skills. Ben Simmons became his soft target during his recent podcast “The Big Podcast with Shaq.”
Adam Lefkoe, the host of “The Big Podcast,” questioned Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday’s show about which NBA players he would pay to see. Ironically, when he thought of the NBA as great, his first thought was of Simmons.
On Wednesday’s episode, at 47:14 Shaq stated, “Ben Simmons, because I would wanna learn how you could make $80 million and play 55 games. Teach me how you could play 55 games in three seasons and get $30 million, $40 million, and get another $40 million just by saying your back hurt. Get some f—in’ Icy Hot, man up.”
Due to back and knee problems, Simmons has had difficulty staying healthy throughout his two seasons with the Nets. Following his forced transfer away from the 76ers during the 2021–22 season, which he missed entirely, the 27-year-old has only made 57 appearances in games.
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The fact that Simmons’ injuries aren’t going away, meanwhile, hasn’t prevented many fans and commentators from criticizing him. In response, Shaquille O’Neal provided a more thoughtful response. He designated his “Vice President of the big man alliance,” Nikola Jokic, as the player he would most likely watch.
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Here is why Shaquille O’Neal’s claims are valid for Ben Simmons
This season, Ben Simmons is making $37.8 million, and the next season, he will make $40.3 million. After James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets two seasons prior, Simmons made $33 million in 2021–2022 and $35.4 million in 2022–2023 in salary.
Simmons has a history of injuries, having struggled with neck and back problems since 2021. In addition, he had a protracted conditioning time following his trade to the Nets in February 2022; nonetheless, he was unable to play in May 2022 due to a back injury.
If you are playing this much of an amount to your Star player and he is inefficient in getting the franchise the results, obviously it’ll spark questions. Ben Simmons has been criticized enough but hasn’t proved anything as of now.
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