Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images David Butler II-Imagn Images

Shaquille O'Neal Once Used F-Bomb On Live TV To Explain NBA's Declining Viewership

Originally posted on Back in the Day NBA on SI
By Shandel Richardson | Last updated Jan 11, 2025 11:02 AM ET

NBA great Shaquille O'Neal went on a rampage with profanity during the early 2000s.

There were at least two times he cursed on live television to express frustration. The last one earned him a one-game suspension. It was came after he dropped an F-bomb during a postgame interview on national television against the Toronto Raptors.

O'Neal was upset about the officiating in the Los Angeles Lakers' 94-93 victory.

"David Stern wonders why the league is losing money," O'Neal said. "That's why. People paid good money to come watch these athletes play and [the refs] try to take over the f---ing game!"

When the reporter alerted they were live, O'Neal, "I don't give a damn."

Years later, O'Neal once again opined on the league's rating. Last November he blamed too much 3-point shooting for the decrease in viewership.

"I have a theory. It’s (ratings) down because we’re looking at the same thing; everybody is running the same plays," O'Neal said. "At the damn top of the key, dribble hand-off. I was talking to a coach… He said they want to shoot 50 threes… We want to make about 10 or 15 of them."

EVEN BATMAN WEARS JORDANS

Fans are always searching for ways to show their support for Michael Jordan or LeBron James as the best player in NBA history.

While James has the edge in longevity, Jordan can always claim a superhero once wore his shoes. Actor Michael Keaton wore a pair of custom Air Jordan 6 while playing the role of Batman in the 1989 film.

He spoke of it during an appearance on the Cam Heyward podcast.

"That's what the shoes were made from," Keaton said. "They just made them and I was putting them on. I was like, `Wow, these are actually Jordans.' I got them stashed away, too. How much would you give me for them?"'

This article first appeared on Back in the Day NBA on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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