Sports betting has become a common practice worldwide and the NBA has faced the blunt force of it. Many NBA personalities have shown concern over the downsides of betting and how a certain section of fans gets super aggressive when their parley fails. To make things even worse, some of the players are getting involved in it and betting on their own team. To combat that, Shaquille O’Neal has proposed a tough dose and knowing the big man, you are probably expecting something grand.
During his recent podcast, Shaq touched on the matter of sports betting. According to him, the punishment for it should be severe with one of the consequences being a complete ban from all forms of basketball. “He (guilty player) would have to give his whole salary back, and you got 30 days… You don’t get that done, you’re banned from all leagues. NBA, Europe, you can’t ever play again. You can’t even go to Overtime Elite,” said the 4-time NBA Champion on “Big Podcast With Shaq”.
In April, Raptors forward, Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA after his gambling issue came to surface. If Shaq’s rules were applied, Porter would’ve been banned from even Overtime Elite which caused quite a stir on social media.
Social Media Reacts to Shaquille O’Neal’s Verdict
No sooner had Shaq handed out his law, social media took notice and evaluated the proposal. Taking to the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), fans revealed their amused comments.
One fan wrote, “Shaq would he a better commissioner than Adam Silver”.
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“Overtime elite catching strays”, another fan wrote.
Shaq’s verdict was so stern that some even commented, “Damn! Shaq ain’t playin!”
“Can’t even go to overtime elite”, another added.
Disagreeing with the magnitude of Shaq’s solution, one fan commented, “Literally impossible”.
With growing scrutiny on the gambling issues, the Adam Silver-led NBA is cracking down on the culprits. As Inside The NBA on TNT is heading into its final season, it might be a great opportunity for Shaq to consider a possible switch from the analyst’s table to the front office of the league.
