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[Saba Sports News] Shaquille O’Neal is back at it again, serving up a fresh batch of skepticism.
The Basketball Hall of Famer went viral for all the wrong reasons this week after making dismissive comments about the Detroit Pistons on his podcast. During the latest episode, O’Neal’s co-host, Adam Lefkoe, attempted to give credit to the Pistons for their surprisingly strong season—only for Shaq to shoot it down immediately.
At first, O’Neal mistakenly claimed Detroit was four games under .500. When Lefkoe corrected him, pointing out that the Pistons were actually six games over .500 (a ten-game difference), Shaq stuck to his stance.
“You wanna brag about a team that’s 32-26?” O’Neal scoffed. “Bro, the Detroit Pistons ain’t winning no f–king championship. Stop it.”
He even went as far as calling the Pistons “boring,” doubling down on his indifference despite Detroit’s undeniable turnaround.
O’Neal’s comments sparked backlash online, and for good reason. The Pistons, after finishing a league-worst 14-68 last season—including an all-time record-breaking losing streak—have completely flipped the script. Now sitting at 36-29 (after presumably being 32-26 when the podcast was recorded), they are sixth in the Eastern Conference, just one game out of the No. 4 seed.
Led by Cade Cunningham, who is averaging 25.6 points and 9.2 assists per game and recently earned his first All-Star selection, the Pistons boast one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. Rising stars like Jalen Duren and Ausar Thompson have also played key roles in Detroit’s resurgence.
Yet, O’Neal refuses to acknowledge their progress simply because they aren’t title contenders. This attitude is nothing new for Shaq, who has a history of downplaying players and teams unless they’re in the championship hunt. He even once criticized a player after they won MVP.
O’Neal’s take is a prime example of the growing frustration with negative narratives from prominent NBA analysts. While skepticism is fair, completely dismissing a team’s success—especially after such a dramatic turnaround—only fuels the ongoing debate about the role of analysts in shaping public perception of the league.