No basketball? No problem. Apparently Shaquille O'Neal, the newest member of 'Inside the NBA' on TNT, is getting an early start at making inflammatory statements.
During a Tuesday broadcast on NBATV, O'Neal heaped praise on Miami Heat stars LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, while apparently omitting NBA All-Star Chris Bosh.
"The Miami Heat, they’ve got a lot of great players, the 'Big Two,' said O'Neal, referring to James and Wade. "They will be back."
As most NBA fans know, the Heat trio of James, Wade, and Bosh are often referred to as the "Big Three."
This is not the first time O'Neal has taken a jab at Bosh. In March of 2009, the Big Diesel referred to the All-Star power forward as "The RuPaul of Big Men"
O'Neal, who won a championship in 2006 with Wade on the Heat and spent the 2009-10 season playing with James in Cleveland, will join Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley this season on TNT. Despite his glaring omission of Bosh, O'Neal made it clear that he felt the Heat would be a tough team next year. "They’re going to get back. They play well, they went through a lot, they put a lot of pressure on themselves," O'Neal said during the program. "That’s how they like it. And they will be back.”
O'Neal's belief in the Heat will likely set up some interesting debates with his future colleague in Barkley, who didn't exactly keep his disdain for Miami's squad a secret last season.
WATCH FOR MORE DETAILS (via ESPN):