Shaq Doesn’t Like Painting Of Donovan Mitchell Dunking On Him
Jan 25, 2021, 6:04 PM | Updated: 6:05 pm
SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA - JUNE 24: Shaquille O'Neal speaks onstage during the 2019 NBA Awards presented by Kia on TNT at Barker Hangar on June 24, 2019 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Turner Sports)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Shaquille O’Neal had strong words for an artist that reimagined a history in which Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell found himself dunking on the former Los Angeles Laker and Miami Heat great.
The painting was in response to last week’s controversy when Shaq questioned the Utah jazz guard’s ability to elevate his play to the next level.
After Shaq offered a blunt assessment towards Mitchell after a Jazz win over the New Orleans Pelicans, the Jazz had an equally terse response to the former MVP center.
“Aight,” Mitchell said to Shaq after the TNT national broadcast.
“That’s it?” O’Neal asked.
“That’s it,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been hearing that since my rookie year. You know, I’m just gonna get better and do what I do.”
The awkward exchange led to many fellow NBA players and celebrities calling out O’Neal’s unfair criticism, and the painting from artist Cal So Scoped.
In the painting, Mitchell is seen dunking over the Heat center with a menacing look on his face.
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The artist captioned the post questioning whether O’Neal would want to face Mitchell on the court.
“Shaq Don’t Really Want The Smoke With The Spidah @spidadmitchell 🔥,” Scoped wrote. “Donovan Putting This Down On Shaq? 🤔”
O’Neal apparently wasn’t a fan of the painting. In a later post, the artist shared a screenshot of a direct message he received from O’Neal with a blunt, but impactful message.
“Shut yo dumb [expletive] up,” O’Neal responded.
“@shaq is not happy about my Donovan Mitchell graphic,” Scoped captioned the post, “So he dmed me even though this would be the sad reality of the situation 😖😂.”
Shaq Had His Own Painting Before Mitchell
O’Neal is no stranger to reimagined artwork featuring the Jazz. Earlier this month, after a rant claiming center Rudy Gobert was overpaid for his role on the team, O’Neal posted a photoshopped image on his Instagram page that showed him dunking over Gobert while he was playing for the Lakers.
“I would had 45 pts 16 rebound ten missed free throws in three quarters,” O’Neal captioned the photo. “He woulda had 11 pts four rebounds and fouled out in 3 quarters. I’m a G @killakyleon”
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The Jazz center took O’Neal’s post in stride on Instagram before taking to Twitter to further squash the beef.
“😂😂😂😂,” Gobert responded. “i guess we’ll never know.”
