While nowhere near close to the infamous Kendrick Lamar-Drake beef, Shaquille O’Neal and Shannon Sharpe did create some memorable moments with theirs. In fact, it had reached a point where it could have turned into a rap battle, but alas, the former NFL legend did not think it prudent to respond to a diss track with one of his own. But at the peak of it, their feud was quite something. Although things between them have calmed down, Sharpe might have just dug his own grave yet again. And this time, the 3x Super Bowl Champion might have to deal with a larger crowd. A much larger one.

In the latest episode of his Club ShayShay podcast, Shannon and guest, Davante Adams, the wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, were discussing, among other topics, the NBA. Cutting to the chase, the former Broncos‘ tight end, flat-out said, “I think football players are the most athletic. They can jump the highest, they can run the fastest, they’re the strongest, they’re the toughest.” Well, 13 years in the sport of his choice, and after the many accolades and accomplishments, it would be worrying if Sharpe didn’t say something along these lines. So, we get it.

But this next part is where it gets tricky. “If you talk about athlete for athlete, football, baseball, basketball; football, as far as vertical jump, because we vertical jump standing still. They get a step, they running jump, they get a run. As far as flat out speed, ability, oh no,” he says, shaking his head. Adams wholeheartedly agreed with the 56-year-old, pointing out that the running jump happens even during the NBA Combine.

“The physical aspect is just one piece but then when you get into the speed and, they agile, but just being able to move on grass is different,” Adams said. If you thought Sharpe was done, think again. “Plus, y’all got like four plays in basketball. We got 150 and a dude try to knock your block off !” he said in response to Davante’s remark.

While it’s true that NBA teams have fewer set plays than NFL, on average, an NBA team could have anywhere from 20 to 30 set plays in their playbook. Of course, the number varies depending on the team, coach, and other factors. And the actual use of them in-game is less. However, an NFL playbook does contain hundreds of plays with “an offense selecting from roughly 75-100 passing plays and 15-20 running plays every game,” per a former NFL head coach.

So, it would seem like Shannon Sharpe has that fact right. However, trying to use that as a scale to measure the intelligence of NBA players wouldn’t sit well with a lot of people. And it wouldn’t be limited to players alone. Not to mention, this was one of the things that O’Neal took offense to.

Shannon Sharpe may have some of his facts right, but Shaq couldn’t care less

When the ‘Big Diesel’ appeared on the Point Game podcast by NBA legend John Wall and comedian C.J. Toledano, the 4x champion explained his side of the Sharpe-O’Neal beef. Of course, it all started when Nikola Jokić was named the MVP for the third time and Shaq thought the 2024 award should have gone to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Sharpe accused him of being jealous when he caught wind of the matter.

Furthermore, the Hall of Famer said that had the dominant center been as serious about his game as he should have been, O’Neal would have 5 MVPs and 7 titles. As they say, burn! This, obviously, is just part of the whole series. But talking about the whole ordeal, Shaq Fu remarked that the most upsetting aspect was it felt like Shannon talked about him as someone who knew him well enough when, in reality, that was nowhere near the truth!

“I just think that in order to talk about certain things you have to have G-14 classification. And not only that, when you talk, make it make sense. When you say you don’t take it seriously, why do I have three retired jerseys? Why do I have two statues?… Don’t talk like you know me.”

And now, there would certainly be a few who would question if Shannon Sharpe has the ‘G-14 classification’ to talk about the NBA the way he did. It really wouldn’t be a surprise if Shaq dropped in to say a few words, either. Well, what do you think? Does Sharpe have any points?