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Shaq says, on orders from his mom, he’s quashing beef with JaVale McGee

Celebrities Attend Spurs vs. Lakers Playoff Game

LOS ANGELES - MAY 9: Lucille Harrison, the mother of Shaquille O’Neal, attends the playoff game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Los Angeles Lakers on May 9, 2004 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Vince Bucci/Getty Images)

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The Shaquille O’Neal-JaVale McGee feud has gotten serious.

The moms are involved.

Shaq, via Mike Wise of The Undefeated:

“My mama. Just say Shaq’s mom called him, told him, ‘Stop this silliness. Leave him alone.’ So that’s the end of the beef. You won’t be hearing about it from my side anymore. Mama has spoken.”

Said Lucille O’Neal earlier Saturday evening from her Orlando, Florida, home, “It’s not funny anymore, seeing the things they’re saying to each other. They need to squash this and move on.”


McGee’s mom, Pamela, via Wise:
“He cyberbullied my son,” Pamela McGee said in an emotional, 30-minute conversation. “Totally inappropriate. Shaquille needs to lose his job or be suspended. The NBA needs to make a stand.”

Shaq’s job is to entertain, and calling attention to the gaffes of NBA players is entertaining. McGee has made more than his fair share of comical errors.

I also understand why McGee and his mother might resent that arrangement. The fact that someone else is just doing his job is little solace when you’re becoming a laughingstock -- especially because Shaq has too often targeted McGee for errors that would go unnoticed by another player.

Still, I tend to think McGee would be better off laughing off Shaqtin A Fool rather than fighting back publicly.

Something I’m even more certain of: McGee’s mom taking up this battle on his behalf won’t help his reputation.