SHAQUILLE O’Neal has opened up about her past relationship with late NBA legend Bill Walton.
Shaquille O’Neal appeared on TNT’s Inside the NBA and saluted Walton, who died at age 71 from cancer on Monday.
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Before Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks, Inside the NBA stars reflected on Walton’s life.
Hall of Fame center O’Neal told viewers the world “lost one of the four fathers of The Big Man Alliance.”
O’Neal considers Walton one of four legendary centers on his list of all-time greats, along with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell.
The 51-year-old then shared that he didn’t have the best history with Walton.
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“Bill and I have had an up and down relationship… I’m not going to lie,” O’Neal said.
“It was up and down because I was sensitive.”
O’Neal said Walton used to “criticize” the Los Angeles Lakers legend when he was an analyst.
Fast forward to 2024, O’Neal shared his understanding of Walton’s criticism as he now does the same to the league’s players on Inside the NBA.
“Bill and all those guys were doing this to me… It’s called “big man rights of way,” O’Neal said.
“He often criticized me and once I got so angry that I wanted to put [my] hands on him.
“I had to listen [to] what these NBA legends say. Because if you want to be an NBA legend, shouldn’t you listen to an NBA legend?”
The rest of the Inside the NBA stars took a few minutes each to remember Walton and his legacy.
Among the analysts was Carlos Barkley, who said, “When I got this News yesterday, it hurt.”
“You’re talking about [someone who was] Great at Basketball, great in life, great as an announcer. But just a great person. I’ve never seen anyone who was happier to be around, who was always in a good mood.”
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“I explain it like this, Ernie [Johnson]. The world is not as good a place as it was yesterday. The world was better for having Bill Walton in it.”
Walton was a two-time national champion at UCLA.
He was also the 1977-78 NBA MVP and won two NBA titles.
After retiring from basketball, Walton also had a legendary career as a sportscaster.
He won an Emmy Award in 1991.
And Walton was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
