Kevin Durant, Steve Kerr Defend JaVale McGee After Nasty Twitter Feud With Shaq

JaVale McGee was mocked yet again by Shaquille O’Neal and his TNT “Inside the NBA” colleagues on Thursday night, and the Golden State Warriors center finally decided he’s had enough of Shaq’s taunts.

Warriors Defend JaVale McGee After Feud With Shaq

McGee, a nine-year NBA veteran, has been one of Shaq’s most frequent targets on the regular TNT segment “Shaqtin’ a Fool” over the years. However, since McGee has been playing relatively well on a strong team this season, Shaq recently said he would ease up on his jabs at the 29-year-old.

The former NBA star evidently mean he would stop right away. Shaq decided to show a spoof of the popular 2016 MARVEL superhero film Doctor Strange in which he showed a montage of McGee’s worst falls, trips, shots, and general mistakes on the court over the years.

McGee unsurprisingly didn’t find the bit, which aired Thursday night on TNT, funny at all, and expressed his frustration with Shaq for ridiculing him like that. The Warriors center fired back on Twitter by suggesting Shaq might be “in love” with him.

Here is how McGee fired back at Shaq:

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This is where the beef got ugly, when Shaq responded:

McGee’s teammates and coaches, notably Kevin Durant and Steve Kerr, quickly defended the center, criticizing Shaq for his famous ‘Shaqtin’ a Fool’ segment.
“You’re in this position where somebody on national TV is making fun of you night after night, it’s not the greatest thing for your reputation,” Kerr said. “I can tell you, I had a preconceived notion of JaVale before he got here that turned out to be totally false. And a lot of that was because of what goes on with Shaq’s ‘Shaqtin’ A Fool’ thing.”

Durant was harsher in his attack against O’Neal, pointing out the former NBA star’s own mediocre performances during his time as a player.

“Shaq was a s—y free-throw shooter. He missed dunks. He airballed free throws. He couldn’t shoot outside of the paint,” Durant said. “He was bigger than everybody. He didn’t have no skill, but he was bigger and stronger than everybody. And he’s still a great player, but you had your flaws, too, as a player. And he played on five or six teams, too. So it’s not like he was just this perfect center.”

It seems as though this feud could continue for quite some time.

HOUSTON, TEXAS – APRIL 04: Former NBA player and commentator Shaquille O’Neal looks on prior to the 2016 NCAA Men’s Final Four National Championship game between the Villanova Wildcats and the North Carolina Tar Heels at NRG Stadium on April 4, 2016 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)