Shaquille O'Neal trolls Brian Windhorst on social media after ESPN fires 20 employees

Shaquille O'Neal took to his Instagram profile to express his support and admiration for Brian Windhorst, ESPN's NBA insider. Windhorst managed to retain his position despite the recent layoffs that affected numerous on-air personalities at ESPN. These layoffs were a result of budget cuts implemented by the parent company Disney, leading to the termination of 20 individuals from their on-air staff.

O’Neal posted a meme edit of Windhorst alongside the song “Many Men (Death Wish)” by 50 Cent. The video-edited clips of Windhorst looking cool with a slight dosage of trolling. Windhorst of course is an easy target but the video seemed to be posted in good nature. The meme was captioned “Only one man at ESPN is untouchable”.

How did Brian Windhorst ascend at ESPN?

Windhorst is one of ESPN’s top NBA analysts. He turned a career of covering LeBron James during his younger years into national fame as an NBA and international basketball expert.

Windhorst recently traveled to France multiple times to interview the biggest NBA phenom since James, Victor Wembanyama. He has developed a relationship with the young superstar and could be covering him for years for ESPN.

He also became a meme a few years ago when reporting on the NBA offseason. Windhorst appeared on ESPN’s First Take and was very vague while giving analysis about the Utah Jazz’s potential offseason moves.

He hinted at a big potential trade and famously used his fingers in a dramatic way to dictate his point. Immediately after, the Jazz executed a blockbuster trade dealing Rudy Gobert to Minnesota. Windhorst was hailed for his foresight and his finger-pointing quickly became a viral meme.

ESPN laid off multiple big names as part of the cuts. Their top NBA color commentator Jeff Van Gundy was let go in a surprising move. Their other big NBA analyst Jalen Rose also had his time with ESPN, end.

In other parts of the company, Max Kellerman and Keyshawn Johnson were let go. NFL legend Steve Young was also among the cuts.

Stephen A. Smith, who reportedly makes $13 million per year, was kept and many believe he is untouchable at the company. This status is what inspired the Windhorst meme that O’Neal shared.

O’Neal shared the video amongst many other viral clips and funny memes. The NBA legend is known for his love of social media. He has admitted that he often performs stunts and gives takes on TV in an attempt to go viral.

O’Neal also posted a dancing video of fans from Louisiana celebrating LSU’s baseball national title. O’Neal played his college basketball at LSU and continues to support and is a big fan of its athletic program.