Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O'Neal Gets Checked After False Claim That Jusuf Nurkic Will Press Charges Against Draymond Green

Originally posted on Fadeaway World | By Nico Martinez | Last updated 1/12/24

This week, Shaquille O'Neal made headlines after calling out Jusuf Nurkic for his threats to sue Draymond Green. Speaking on his podcast, Shaq called Nurkic soft for daring to take legal action. With a post on X just a few hours ago, Jurkic responded by calling out the legendary big man in a rare public confrontation. Instead of blaming O'Neal, Nurk exposed the whole story for being fake.

“You’re going to ruin what I created in the big man alliance," said O'Neal. "This is something I would tell you to your face if I saw you. You can’t press charges, you just gotta get your big a** up and hit somebody back. How about that? With your big soft a**”

It turns out that Nurkic never threatened to sue Draymond and currently has no plans to take any kind of legal action. While this does little to change Draymond's current situation (or the series of events that led him here), the exchange does show how Shaq engages with the NBA's big men today. Clearly, he holds them to a different standard than the rest and that includes 4x champion Draymond Green.

Draymond Vs. Nurkic

This whole thing really goes back to early December, when the Warriors went to Phoenix for a game against the Suns. At that point, Draymond was already on thin ice due to previous outbursts, and tempers were flaring in this game from the very jump. It wasn't long before he lost control completely and committed a now infamous swipe towards Jusuf's face. Green was immediately ejected and the NBA announced an indefinite suspension not long after. While Nurkic did call for Draymond to "get help" after the altercation, he never threatened to press charges.

Either way, Nurk had a part to play in this story and he is just the latest victim of Draymon's recent on-court antics. Even so, Nurkic is not going to let the incident define his season and he's already doing what he can to move on and leave it in the past. As for Draymond, he's on the verge of a comeback to the Warriors but it remains to be seen if anything will change.

What Is The 'Big Man Alliance'?

Shaq has yet to respond after Nurkic confirmed the quote as a hoax, but it's no surprise to hear him sticking up for Draymond. As a 4x champion, 3x Finals MVP, and a career as one of the greatest centers ever, O'Neal set the standard of dominance through sheer power and strength on the court and it's really the peak of what an interior force can be on the court.

Today, while Shaq is no longer playing, he's still defending those same principles by demanding it in the star big men today. Of course, he also takes many of them under his wing -- as he has with Draymond Green. So in this time of struggle for the Warriors legend, Shaq is doing everything he can to remind the world of who he is and keep people in check when they break the code.

This article first appeared on Fadeaway World and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: