Shaquille O’Neal jokingly threatened Kenny Smith by saying he will knock him out after an interview with Chet Holmgren.
The four-time NBA champion has predicted that OKC will win the Western Conference and the Finals this season, but he has sensed a potential issue.
When he brought it up while speaking to Holmgren, Kenny Smith tried to have a bit of fun, but he received a strong reply from O’Neal, albeit in good humour.
Shaquille O’Neal jokingly tells Kenny Smith he will knock him out
O’Neal knows what it takes to win the NBA championship, having done it four times.
The Oklahoma City Thunder narrowly missed out last season, but they are one of the favourites to go all the way this time.
After their 96-84 win over the Nuggets, O’Neal and the rest of the Tip-Off show got the chance to speak to Holmgren, who had a fine game.
The former Los Angeles Lakers star asked if there are altercations among the players during practice sessions at OKC, because, from the outside, they all look like nice guys.
He asked: “Chet, we see you guys get together during interviews. It’s obvious that all you guys like each other. Has there ever been a moment where there’s been any tension in practice? Because you guys remind me of the old-school Spurs, where everybody liked each other, but I’ve been on championship teams where there was a lot of turmoil, a lot of arguments.”
Before Holmgren even had a chance to respond, Smith told O’Neal: “You started it (arguments).” Charles Barkley quickly added: “Yeah, you did. Nobody liked you.”
O’Neal held his ground by saying: “That’s right, I’m the leader.”
Answering the question, Holmgren said that even when there are altercations, everyone on the roster ends up smiling halfway through them. But he insists they are all very competitive.
Responding to that at the end of the interview, Smith decided to poke fun at O’Neal again and said: “So basically, you don’t have a Shaq on your team.”
O’Neal hit back by saying: “You’ve got new knees, you’re going to need a new face. You know what? Me and Chuck go at it. Just because you got new knees, don’t get cute on me. I’ll knock your a** out. Chuck can throw jabs, you can’t.”
Of course, all of the above was said in good humour, and everyone ended the debate with a big smile on their faces when O’Neal joked: “Don’t sign a cheque your knees can’t cash.”
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