Kevin Durant simply couldn’t assist himself.
The brand new Phoenix Suns ahead trolled Shaquille O’Neal after the NBA legend known as Rui Hachimura by the fallacious identify throughout an apology to the Lakers ahead.
Throughout Thursday’s episode of his “The Huge Podcast,” O’Neal apologized to Hachimura for saying he didn’t know who the 25-year-old Gonzaga product was when the Lakers acquired Hachimura in a commerce with the Wizards in January.
“Let me apologize to Rudy Hachimura,” O’Neal stated [at the 28:40 mark]. “I didn’t know who he was as a result of I by no means watch the Bullets play, however he’s a tremendous role-player. … He’s giving me Rick Fox vibes. Robust, fairly good defender. … So Rudy Hachimura, I apologize I didn’t know who you had been, I do know you are actually and I want you effectively, and also you’re doing nice.”
On Friday, Durant entered the dialog, writing, “Rui*” with an asterisk check in a quote-tweet that included O’Neal’s apology.
Las Vegas Aces ahead and O’Neal’s NBA on TNT co-host, Candace Parker, who was a visitor on “The Huge Podcast,” appeared confused when he known as Rui by the fallacious identify.
“Wait, say his identify?” Parker requested.
When he known as him “Rudy” once more, O’Neal’s co-host Nischell Turner chimed in: “It’s Rui, not Rudy.”
Parker added, “That’s why I wished him to say it once more as a result of I couldn’t inform inform if he was saying ‘Rui’ or ‘Rudy.’”
It’s unclear if O’Neal was joking, as he known as the Wizards by their former identify. The Washington Bullets modified their identify to the Wizards in 1997, which was O’Neal’s sixth yr within the league.
As for Durant? The previous Nets star and O’Neal appear to have some kind of stress.
After the Hachimura commerce in late January, Durant responded to a headline about O’Neal’s aforementioned remark.
On the time, O’Neal stated on “Contained in the NBA”: “In case you ain’t a top-10 participant, I don’t know who you might be,” including that he would’ve most well-liked a commerce for Wizards All-Star guard Bradley Beal.
“Shaquille doesn’t know ball?” Durant tweeted, which drew a fiery reply from O’Neal.
“i don’t kno ball, however i kno learn how to brush my hair, or determine to chop it when i used to be going bald. love at all times THE BUS DRIVER,” O’Neal wrote beneath a video of Durant that was tweeted by his firm, Boardroom.
Durant responded to O’Neal, writing, “Rattling, I obtained cooked for asking a easy query.”
O’Neal’s “bus driver” remark alluded to the nickname Charles Barkley coined for Durant through the 2022 playoffs when the Durant and the Nets obtained swept by the Celtics of their first-round playoff collection.
The Nets traded Durant to the Suns simply earlier than the NBA commerce deadline on Feb. 9. The 13-time All-Star requested a commerce to Phoenix after Brooklyn traded Kyrie Irving to the Mavericks on Feb. 5.
