Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) warms up before playing the Miami Heat at FTX Arena. Michael Laughlin-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Durant and Shaquille O'Neal rip each other on social media

By Colum Dell | Last updated 1/29/23

Nets superstar Kevin Durant took to Twitter on Saturday to call out Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal for a comment the legend made on "Inside the NBA" earlier this week.

After his co-analysts replayed his initial take on the Lakers' trade for Rui Hachimura, O'Neal admitted that he wasn't really familiar with the former lottery pick's game.

"If you ain't a top 10 player, I don't know who you are... I'm not watching the Bullets or the Wizards," said O'Neal.

The comments spread on Twitter the last few days, and Durant eventually saw them via Legion Hoops' tweet. Durant knocked O'Neal for being a casual basketball viewer, quote tweeting, "Shaquille doesn't know ball?"

Shaquille doesn’t know ball? https://t.co/UPoBbOeG8g
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) January 28, 2023

A Twitter savant of his own, O'Neal went beyond informing Durant that he "knows ball." However, for some odd (and hilarious) reason, O'Neal responded to a snippet from Durant's podcast "The ETCs," where Durant explained why he prefers J. Cole's music to Kendrick Lamar's.

In a grammatically incorrect tweet, O'Neal fired, "i don't kno ball, but i kno how to brush my hair,or decide to cut it when i was going bald. love always THE BUS DRIVER."

O'Neal's "The Bus Driver" signature refers to fellow Hall of Famer Charles Barkley's remarks about Durant during a 2020 appearance on "The Dan Patrick Show." Barkley declared that Durant would remain a "bus rider" until he leads Brooklyn to a championship, discrediting the championships he won with Golden State in 2017 and 2018.

Taking the insults in stride, Durant returned with a witty reply, "Damn, I got cooked for asking a simple question."