The latest edition of Shaquille O’Neal’s Shaqtin-A-Fool took shots at a familiar target. As is the norm, the Hall of Famer poked fun at several stars, but his top scapegoat was Ben Simmons, a recurring and ever-present focus of the series.
The first player to feature was Pacers star Bennedict Mathurin for his peculiar tactic to distract Bucks players during free throws. Right before Milwaukee’s players shot the ball, the guard would raise his hand and scratch his head. Center Brook Lopez noticed it and scratched the Canadian’s head to mock him.
The next two to feature were Pelicans center Trey Jemison III, for his hilariously ineffective attempt to thwart Kyrie Irving, and Jazz guard Colin Sexton for his flop after LeBron James’ elbow slightly brushed against his forehead. At the top of the list and the winner of the week was Simmons for inexplicably missing the easiest layup. O’Neal called out the Nets guard, saying, “This is a turkey farm layup.”
The turkey farm jibe was an ingenious pull from the Hall of Famer. It’s an old slang for lazy and ineffective federal agencies. The Lakers icon suggested that even a lethargic player would have made the layup that Simmons missed. This wasn’t the first time O’Neal had criticized the guard. He shares a long history with the Nets star.
Shaq’s history of critiquing Simmons
Simmons has been in the critics’ crosshairs since his horrendous performance in the 2021 playoffs. He was relentlessly mocked for his decision to pass up a layup from right under the rim against Hawks guard Trae Young. His career has been in a tailspin since.
While some have grown sympathetic toward the guard, O’Neal isn’t among them. He once seemingly backed a suggestion that Simmons should retire.
Recently, he claimed that Simmons’ 66 rating in the latest edition of NBA 2K was too high. The rating is already embarrassingly low, but the Lakers icon believes he isn’t even worthy of that.
To his credit, the Nets guard has fired back and added fuel to the fire. However, his target’s indifference has never discouraged O’Neal from attacking them.
