Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports

Shareef O'Neal reveals why his father is constantly 'attacking' players like Rui Hachimura.

Shaquille O'Neal and Kevin Durant starred in another controversial moment on Saturday when the former player-turned-analyst and the Brooklyn Nets superstar exchange a couple of jabs on social media, with Shaq ultimately roasting KD for his questions. 

It all started when Shaq revealed he didn't know Rui Hachimura, the newest acquisition of the Los Angeles Lakers. The Big Diesel even called out Rob Pelinka for that move, but not a lot of people were having what Shaq was saying.

Kevin Durant took to Twitter to ask a big question, wondering if O'Neal didn't know ball. This didn't sit well with the Big Diesel, who had a big response to Durant, absolutely destroying the 2x NBA champion.

Shareef O'Neal Sheds Light On Why His Father Is Constantly Downplaying NBA Stars 

KD admitted that he got roasted after making a simple question, but he wasn't the only one reacting to Shaq's comments. Before all of that happened, Shaq's eldest son Shareef tried to clarify what his father meant with his comments about Hachimura, revealing that the 3x Finals MVP uses these statements as his way to motivate players.

"He just says stuff like this to make the player wanna shut him up.. he just wants dudes to prove him wrong ... that's his way of doing' it," the G League Ignite player expressed in a now-deleted tweet. 

This is what Shaq has said over the years, especially when he appeared to be in a personal crusade against Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. O'Neal claimed that he just wants to know how tough these players are and he wants to see how they respond when people criticize them. 

Some players benefit from this, others don't, but it doesn't look like Shaq will change his modus operandi. O'Neal knows he can talk about whoever he wants given his impressive career and resume, but sometimes fans won't like what he has to say. Regardless, he'll keep doing it and there's nothing we can do to change that.

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