Shaq Responds To Ben Simmons | The Big Podcast | NBA on TNT

Your boy Ben Simmons has decided to talk. I don't know if you've seen the interview, but I'm going to go over a couple of things he said because he also addressed you specifically, so it was about an hour and something. I switched conversations with JJ Redick um and he went over a lot of things first of all. I think I have a small apology because we clowned him. I know I made it about coming to practice with my cell phone in my pocket. He said it wasn't a cell phone. phone said it was his shirt in his pocket and he doesn't understand why people thought it was a cell phone but it wasn't a cell phone that's what the man said so if it wasn't a cell phone Ben I apologize for that because you I did hell to have us, I think cell phone t-shirts all the time, he talked a lot about his mental health and him and how he's dealing with it, okay, I got another call, hello, what did you say, okay, okay, okay good, my new.

The phone came in, oh okay, the mini arrived hello, how are you buddy? To make it look like a cell phone, how to do it. It must have been a baby t-shirt. The man stated that it was a T-shirt in his pocket. not a cell phone um he also said about the incident during the fourth game, the sixth game on the play where he dribbled down and around and didn't shoot and passed out um when he was against Trey Young so he says he did. He didn't know it was Trey at the time all he saw was a t-shirt so he said yeah he should have hit it he was wrong he didn't realize it was Trey he said he was doing a spinning motion and everything could see.

It was Jersey, he didn't see who he was protecting and continued saying yeah, go ahead, Shaquille, okay, Spice knows this, that's an excuse. I don't give a damn if Michael Jordan is on your back. I don't give a damn if T- Mac without me and I are on your back you throw him on the ground it's the playoffs we're trying to advance I don't want to hear that and listen I don't want to hear any excuses you're six nine you're one of the strongest guys of the league, you can dominate the little guys and you're compatible and maybe equal to some of these big guys because there's only one real big guy in the league.

Guess who is on your team. The Atlanta Hawks do not have great physiques. I don't want to hear that excuse. I mean, I agree. I think it was an excuse. I think he said it was an excuse. You can fool some people sometimes, but you can't fool me and Spice tells us that. even through the helmet when you're on the line the eyes don't lie Michelle I don't give a damn what you're talking about when you get behind the microphone talking to me your eyes don't lie that man was terrified because I It was in that game that the man was scared, Well, he invited you and the rest of the critics to come watch the game tape with him so he could break it down for you.

No, I don't need to watch a game either. I saw what I saw. You saw everything we needed to see and then you know the fact that he's still talking about it, it's affecting him well. I think this is the first time he did an interview. If you're going to be honest, give him the benefit of No doubt, look and see, this is what we don't need, we don't need mom, baby and the kid. I'm trying to turn the kid into an NBA man. That is beautiful. There are many things you have to go through. There is ridicule, criticism, hate, sometimes there is hate from your own teammates in your own organization, but those who walk around like they are cool and those who pretend to be cool have to persevere, you have to rise above everything people talk about. my free throws all the damn time you think I care, I don't care, that doesn't bother me and when you get to a certain level, things like that don't bother you, let's see when you complain, and the wine and the wine, you get all these people .

What do you know, okay, okay, not okay, because guess what the fans pay like Spice and her beautiful sons, and you know her two beautiful daughters, when they pay all that money to see me play, they don't want to hear excuses, but guess. That Spice got a job and Spice had to take a part of that job? A lot of money, he buys those good seats for his children. Part of that money goes to you. We don't want to hear any excuses. I dont want to listen. you, six, nine, six, ten, talking about all I saw was Jersey go down so we can get to the final, he said I should have hit him on the issue of you know, dealing with criticism.

He said he felt like Doc Rivers and Joel Embiid threw him under the bus and used him as an excuse, so what? Been there and done that I've been to Mountaintop I know what you're thinking I know what you're doing I know what you're going through Do you think I wasn't nervous about shooting free throws? You know, missing free throws. pitch and listen when you know hit one or one two and you lose it's your fault that's the name of the game E.T right there if you don't keep winning Emmys and start losing things it's going to be you and Kevin's fault. about the producers, not the CEO, not the CFO, not the show director, it will be your fault when you start doing parodies and people don't laugh and do that, it will be your fault when I started, you know, acting like a crazy and do everything I do.

TNT it's my fault that's the name of the game you have to accept it you can't run away from it if you don't if you try to run away from it don't play get the money back I don't want to Listen to him, he said he has been going through serious mental health issues. He feels like he's on the other side. He's ready to play this year, but then JJ and his teammate asked him directly and specifically about you, Charles and me. I want to play this clip because I don't want to summarize it. I want you to hear exactly what Ben said.

So can we play the clip? I saw a lot of the things that Barkley and Jack and those guys were saying. You know, he mentioned Stephen before and all that. I personally like that JJ said this before. Your ability to withstand that kind of thing is really impressive because anyone, at any age, would hear that kind of personal attack and feel that. It's not someone who talks about my basketball, there is someone who talks about me as a human being. Where are you now? Because you know we've known you for a long time. You're in a very good place basketball-wise, but also mentally. where are you now just waiting forward? it's almost something that you'll see when you see it happen to someone else it gives you a kind of perspective of uh like almost a level of empathy that maybe you haven't had before because you've now gone through it for sure even like listening to John you know , you see what John Wall was talking about, yeah, his situation, people go through it, it doesn't matter how much money you have, how famous you are, that's real, how people go through it. everyday struggles, um, but even I think it's a little bit ignorant, in turn, like Shaq and Chuck, sometimes what they say and because they have a platform to protect us and you know that you do it right, obviously they're supposed to.

You know, criticizing us, you know we're basketball players, but when it comes to personal things, I think there's a similar level of respect that they should have, um, even Shaq, like when he was dealing with everything that was going on. I actually sent him a message and he posted it and I was like he was fine but I'm like Shaq, you DMed him, yeah DM. I thought: why are you saying this if you don't even know the story? Because he always wants to say something like that. Yo, where are the LSU brothers? You are my brother.

All of this that if you were my LSU brother you would have already communicated. It's been months since I did this. You won't once walk up and say, "Hey, are you okay?" The only person who reached out was Jay Williams and he had a real conversation with me. I told him I really appreciate it because you know you're trying to understand what's going on with me because he said something and then accepted it. Which I appreciated and I think it's just the level at which people understand and aren't just talking for the sake of talking, not for clicks or whatever, so I really respect Jay for that, that was to me what meant the most. than whatever was happening. in um, but that's what you love to see from your former players and she kills O'Neill like she has a shack hating me like it's crazy, but yeah, that's, I think that's what it is for me, just that level of how to understand respect like no don't talk if you don't know would you like me to answer a question ask a question or do you just want to go I'll go first than all these young players, right?

I need to understand Shaquille O'Neal, I don't need to hate you for everything you're doing. He would have done it a hundred times before anything if you play at 9:30 and we show up at 10 and say something. what we see, the issue of mental health, it doesn't come to light until everyone starts criticizing you, then you let people know that you have mental health problems and if you come back, donzel is a witness, he is a producer of the show I think I once did. the show I did with you I told the world I told him he made me told me he was going through some problems and I told him I was going to back off and then I told him in the DM Okay the reason people don't know what which is You're passing because you're not speaking well, but as far as what I saw, this is what I saw.

I talk about what I saw and I talk about what I know. I know how to get to the next level. He knows it and yes, you can. Be my brother, but I'm not always going to sugarcoat things. I'll tell you the real thing. You will never do it. I should never have gone. I want you to reach the level. To the level. To the level. But you. I can't say I'm hating because everything you're doing you're doing because you saw me do it well. I hate the term hate if you don't if you don't say one hundred percent that someone is good they always say you're hating I don't like that term listen if you're older you can't hate yeah let's get it straight now first of all Like I said, it's just me.

I'm just talking about what I see as a player and I'm talking about what you have to do to get to the next level. If you don't like what I say, that's not my problem, first of all, it's never a personal attack. about you I'm just saying what I saw I saw in his eyes he was scared I saw he scares me and guess what everyone goes through problems we all go through struggles we all do well but this is the game we play this is the in the life we ​​live we're going to take the criticism, we get paid a lot of money somehow you have to deal with it, okay, now I'm not going to talk about the mental health issue because I know that's real and again, this is the first time.

He's spoken in two years, so yeah, I wish him the best and you know, I hope he does what he does, but listen, I come from the era where there are no excuses, you know, the same problems that he had, don't think that I have the problems, we don't. I don't think the common man has the same problems, we all have those problems, but I found a way to overcome them and persevere is one of my favorite words, you know, spice and the only thing I like to talk about is persevere, it's good to understand when I say persevere, so look.

We all have those problems but I come from there and there are no excuses when I miss Fritos it's not all over now you just got lost get your butt in the gym we have a game tomorrow we need this victory we go to the next level we go to the finals so listen to my message to play: if you don't want me to say anything about you, I won't say anything about your ass because he won't trust me, he won't stop anything I have. Come on, trust me on that spice, I don't know if you feel that way, but I feel like I'm glad Ben did this interview, but I also felt like this interview showed that he still has very thin skin, um and I think that too. which showed how this generation of players also wants to be pampered and I think that is a problem because what he said was a bit contradictory and he said well, they have a platform to protect us and do good. that's not your job that's not your job and then he says well, I guess they're supposed to do it, you know they're supposed to criticize, yeah, your job is to talk about what you see, you're an analyst, your job is Analyze. what you see so I think in this generation of players I'm talking to all these guys including Draymond who says you know he's starting this new media and they're not going to be any hustlers you know they're not going to badmouth any player. or something like that, I think it's stupid because your job is a paid analyst, your job is to say The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, period, your job is not to go on there and say Ben Simmons looks cute in his green suit , it is not and no. just analyze it from the point of view of the Hall of Fame.

I'm not woge and I'm wolves, they didn't play wolves, it was fabulous, the best at his job, but I played, so I see things that other people can't see and I see these things. that I can't see well and that's why you know and you know that's why I have to be good at having different animals and this message to the guy who mentioned my name, shut up, little man, because we don't know yet. who you are and I always give constructive criticism to guys to help them get to the next level because if you don't want to get to the top of the Hall of Fame, I don't give a damn what you want to get to. even if you don't like it, you know we're talking about certain players, okay, they're good, okay. that's good, that's what's there, that's what I'm saying, okay, you're good, okay, people, people misunderstand hate and constructive criticism, they do it all the time, absolutely, listen, we're all in this together if you lose a critical game. and I say something and then you step up your game, now we have aextra game, everyone eats, you know how I know everyone, you have bums making 300 million dollars, that's how I know everyone eats, so when I give constructive criticism to take you to that next. level you can take it or leave it like if you're good I want you to be great if you're great I want you to be better if you're better why don't you try to be one of the best you know some people are just happy where they are I'm never happy I'm not happy now that's why I work with sometimes you have to leave people where they are I mean sometimes you these people even if they're really good they don't want to be great like you said I just didn't like that I didn't like how he said don't talk if you don't know well Shaquille does know and that's like uh that's good I was talking about don't talk about if you don't know what's going on well if you don't talk no one knows what's going on so right now you're speaking everyone knows what's going on so I guess people will baby you and follow you but that's when we had that specialist he was asking certain questions when I think about mental health I see people who are depressed they're depressed they're completely depressed you know the fact that you're sitting in your green leather and you know you always flex your famous girlfriend and then your Ferrari and all that to me you look good that's all I'm saying Michelle people can't believe it.

I'll leave it at that. I'm just saying you look good to me, that's all. saying it's okay, and you're right, but people can suffer in silence, they definitely can and I'm glad you said that you said you think taking the first step and admitting you have mental health issues will be a big help. I walk and we all have problems yes we all have struggles yes I agree