4x champion Shaquille O'Neal seemingly reaffirms Stephen A. Smith’s “ain’t s**t as a competitor” remark about Ben Simmons

Shaquille O'Neal is an outspoken critic and some players in particular have had it bad from Big Diesel over the years. One of Shaq's many scapegoats in the NBA, much like Shaq, happens to be a No.1 pick in the league from LSU, Ben Simmons.

Simmons has managed to draw the ire of a majority of the pundits and the basketball fandom alike in recent years. The former Sixers star went from perennial All-Star to an end-of-the-bench role player in a matter of some seasons and his stock has never been lower.

Recently, discussions have been sparked about a career revival for Simmons after the Nets star revealed how he has never felt as good previously in his career. This was met with mockery, including from the hands of Stephen A. Smith.

Smith, renowned for his strong-worded criticism, had profane words for Simmons, stating he "ain't s**t as a competitor". This is a criticizm that has haunted Ben Simmons from his high school days and has seen no let up since.

While not in his usual outspoken manner, Shaquille O'Neal seems to have indicated his support for Stephen A. Smith's statement. The former NBA champion shared an Instagram story, seemingly agreeing with Smith's criticizm of the Nets star.

Shaquille O'Neal shared a video of Stephen A.Smith criticizing Ben Simmons on his Instagram story

Shaquille O'Neal has been critical of Ben Simmons in the past, leading to Simmons even DM'ing Shaq.

Ben Simmons has been heavily criticized by Shaquille O'Neal in the past

While O'Neal initially appeared to be a fan of Ben Simmons, likening him to LeBron James, in recent years, the former MVP has been a vocal critic of the player.

Sharing an Instagram story of Stephen A's critique of Simmons' lack of competitive nature is a continuation of a pattern of comments against Simmons by Shaquille O'Neal.

While they may have a lot of common ground on the basis of their backgrounds, their differences probably stand out further.

Shaq was a serial winner and was known for his big-game heroics, while Simmons has been labeled a choker and was practically booed out of Philly by the fans after repeated playoff failures.

Shaq certainly seems keen on ending the comparisons with Ben Simmons to just their shared alma mater. Sharing footage of Stephen A. Smith calling out Simmons for his lack of competitiveness is one way of doing that.