Two Timberwolves May Have Drawn The Ire Of Uncle Shaq. Here's Why

Once upon a time, Charles Barkley called Shaquille O’Neal “Mr. Sensitive” on national TV. Instead of beating the allegations, Shaq threatened to throw a metal tumbler at Sir Charles.

That should have been a lesson learned for the entire NBA community. Apparently, Donte DiVincenzo didn’t get the memo.

During the Minnesota Timberwolves-Denver Nuggets game on Sunday, DiVincenzo took three shots at the charity stripe and made two. After his one miss, though, the Timberwolves guard made a side comment that was picked up by the TV broadcast.

“I shoot free throws like Shaq,” DiVincenzo said. Big mistake.

O’Neal, who was part of the ESPN panel covering the Wolves-Nuggets showdown, heard exactly what the former Villanova standout had to say. As ESPN’s halftime segment began, the Big Diesel delivered his response.

“I wish I was playing too,” Shaq said in his signature low-key delivery. “I’d flagrant his a** to the next game.”

Lest DiVincenzo forget, this is the same 7-foot-1 behemoth who asked his teammates on defense to funnel high-scoring opponents into the shaded lane. Why? So that Shaq could “touch ‘em up.” This is the same Shaq who, in separate game-time situations, openly threw a haymaker at Brad Miller (who fortunately moved away at the last second) and wrestled Charles Barkley to the ground after the Chuckster threw the ball at his head.

For reasons known only to himself, O’Neal relented. “Actually, no, I like DiVincenzo.” Then, he added, “I’m gonna take it out on soft-a** Rudy Gobert.”

The Stifle Tower, a teammate of DiVincenzo’s in Minnesota, caught a stray that wasn’t entirely unexpected. Four years ago, O’Neal claimed on “The Big Podcast With Shaq” that Gobert couldn’t guard him one on one. Gobert, a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, went on social media to post his response: “I would lock his a** up.”

Heading into this past weekend, there was one player on the Timberwolves roster who was on Uncle Shaq’s radar. Now, there are two. DiVincenzo may have bitten off more than he could chew.