Shaquille O’Neal Isn’t Impressed By Zion Williamson After Pelicans Star Dropped Career’s Second Triple-Double

Shaquille O'Neal Isn't Impressed By Zion Williamson After Pelicans Star Dropped Career's Second Triple-Double
Shaquille O’Neal (Image Credit: X/@TheDunkCentral), Zion Williamson (Image Credit: Imagn Images)

Shaquille O’Neal’s harsh criticism of Zion Williamson went viral after the Pelicans defeated the Clippers 127-120 on Tuesday. Zion finished with a triple-double for the second time in his career during a victory over one of the most competitive teams in the NBA. But it wasn’t enough to win Shaq’s admiration for some reason. The 5x champion still treats his young NBA mentees with harsh love.

Shaq wasn’t impressed by Zion’s performance and expected more from the young star, who finished the game with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 12 assists. Zion is in best shape of his career, and it’s not wrong to expect him to do this often.

Shaq said, “You giving him props for that? I need more. Anybody can get 20 points now. That’s not good enough. I’m not impressed by that. If they’re (Pelicans) in third or fourth place and you got those numbers, I’m impressed. I’m not impressed by that. You need to do more, Zion, I love you.”

Shaquille O’Neal is well-positioned to discuss NBA subjects and offer commentary on the league’s top players. But Shaq consistently enjoys criticizing or holding today’s athletes to unrealistic expectations. In this instance, Zion had previously been “unimpressed” with objectively good play.

Shaquille O’Neal Calls Out Detroit Pistons Amid Their Miserable Season So Far

Shaq also minimized the Pistons’ recent success on his show. The team is currently sixth in the East, following one of the worst seasons in the team’s history.

Shaq said, “They’re boring, too. They are four games under .500. You wanna brag about a team that’s 32-26? Stop it. That’s not success. 40-20, then we talk about it. The Detroit Pistons ain’t winning no championship, stop it.”

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With Cade Cunningham guiding them to a significantly better season, the Pistons have been one of the league’s finest tales all year long despite not being the league’s top picks. They are guaranteed to take the sixth playoff slot in the East since they have a 7-3 record in their past ten games.

Shaq claims that the Pistons aren’t even close to receiving media acclaim, even though many supporters contend they have done enough. The criticism will continue to be directed by the former NBA legend, who knows what it means to win the title. However, in that light, Zion and the Pistons can put some extra effort into improving their chance of winning this season.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal Names Three Current NBA Players Who Could Survive In His Era