Shaquille O'Neal isn't Buying Knicks Hype

Shaquille O'Neal isn't buying the offseason hype in the New York Knicks.

Apr 20, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) reacts after not getting a call in the first quarter during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports / Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

If Shaquille O'Neal is going down, he's taking the New York Knicks with him.

O'Neal's latest jab at the Knicks could perhaps be viewed as an aftershock of the apparent shutdown of "Inside the NBA," but the legendary center-turned-analyst continued his apparent vendetta against Manhattan, claiming that the offseason progress has placed them no closer to an elusive championship.

"New York is a place that's built on hype, that controls the hype, they can hype everybody else up. They haven't won s***," O'Neal bluntly declared on his web series "The Big Podcast," responding to query from U.S. Army veteran Carlos Wiley. "(Jalen Brunson) can play, I was wrong about him, he's impressive. But they're nowhere close to winning a championship."

"They're going to win some games and do this but I'm more impressed with, at the end of your career, how many championships you've won."

Dec 15, 2008; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns center Shaquille O'Neal (32) against New York Knicks player David Lee (42) in the first quarter at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US Presswire / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

O'Neal and his "Inside the NBA" teammates were recently dealt some bad news, as the NBA's new TV deals eschewed TNT from the conversation in favor of streaming giant Amazon. Thus appears to end the long-running studio show starring O'Neal, Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith, though parent company Warner Bros. Discovery is set to take legal action.

Recent editions of "Inside the NBA" saw O'Neal doubt the Knicks' playoff run, declarations he felt were vindicated when the shorthanded New Yorkers fell to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

O'Neal's lack of confidence led to a spicy battle across networks that saw ESPN analyst (and frequent Knicks defender) Kendrick Perkins call out both The Big Aristotle and Barkley, particularly for their jabs at franchise face Jalen Brunson.

In any event, O'Neal should get plenty of opportunities to take in the revamped Knicks' antics in TNT's final season broadcasting the NBA. New York is fresh off a 50-win season despite a plethora of major injuries and added Brunson's fellow Villanova alum Mikal Bridges to the fold while re-upping with OG Anunoby and head coach Tom Thibodeau. Brunson himself also took a discounted contract extension that will keep in Manhattan through the end of the decade, one that proved polarizing among his contemporaries.

Make sure you bookmark All Knicks for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

• Liberty at the Olympics: Women's Basketball Tracker
• Judge Offers Brunson Gift, Message
• Brunson Throws 1st Pitch
• Report: Knicks Add Another Assistant
• Precious Achiuwa Responds to Gilbert Arenas