Donovan Mitchell has the governor of Utah in his corner. Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O'Neal is now taking shots from elected state officials.

The retired Hall of Famer and current TNT analyst responded this week to the backlash from his critical comments about Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell. O’Neal said that he was giving Mitchell constructive criticism and motivation. He also added a “You’re welcome, Utah” for good measure.

Utah Gov. Spencer Cox then responded to O’Neal’s remarks in a tweet. Cox sarcastically said that he would criticize O’Neal for being a bad TV commentator in the hopes that O’Neal would get better.

O’Neal’s comments about Mitchell seemed hardly good-natured at the time. They also drew swift condemnation from some of Mitchell’s NBA peers.

Now O’Neal can be certain that he has offended the entire state of Utah by dissing Mitchell, including its highest-ranking government official.

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