Golden State Warriors

Shaq on JaVale McGee feud: 'It didn't get out of hand'

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:07 p.m. ET

Sports Illustrated, SI Wire/Sports Illustrated

Shaquille O’Neal’s longstanding feud with Warriors center JaVale McGee reached a boiling point last week when the two engaged in a heated Twitter exchange. ESPN also reported that the Warriors reached out to Turner Sports asking the network to ease off of its criticism of McGee.

O’Neal addressed the situation on Thursday night, saying “I don’t have beef” and asserting “It didn’t get out of hand.”

The dispute stems from McGee’s frequent appearances in O’Neal’s “Shaqtin’ A Fool” bloopers segment on TNT’s Inside the NBA. The moment that sparked the Twitter spat was a package last Thursday devoted exclusively to McGee’s blunders.

“It didn’t get out of hand,” O’Neal said Thursday. “But my mother is someone who I love and respect, and she told me to stop it and don’t bring it up again. So I’m not gonna talk about it ever again. His name won’t come out of my mouth ever again.”