JaValin' a Fool

NBA, other than one of the most fascinating and spectacular leagues in the world, is also on of the toughest. Both from the athletic point of view, as it hosts the greatest athletes of the planet, and media one. Literally, everything that happens in the Association, whether is made by players, coaches, referees, general managers or fans, is constantly monitored, 24/7. 

To lead this huge amount od news stream we have dedicated programs on tv broadcasters, which include NBA on TNT. And among many other transmissions realized by Time Warner’s cable, there’s one in particular, Inside the NBA, which in the last few years has become a cult for the American basketball’s world. That’s because, other than hosting guests like Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith, it has a weekly segment called Shaqtin’ a Fool, with a certain man of our knowledge mocks NBA players which make funny mistakes during games. 

One of Shaq’s feature’s most participating guests has always been JaVale McGee, which according to someone was the spark for the birth of the program. Warriors’ center has always been an animated player with so many funny mistakes among all his plays. Shaq, on his side, has never worried about mocking poor McGee and has even nominated him as Shaqtin’ a Fool’s MVP twice. But if in the beginning JaVale sucked it up for a while, now the situation has radically changed.

In 2013, after the double MPVs, McGee showed up at Inside the NBA’s microphones after a Nuggets’ game, calling O’Neal a bully and his program Shaqtin’ a Coon, a disparaging term for a black person. Both sentences were pronounced with a half-smile on his face, so everyone moved on and never thought about it. At the beginning of this year’s regular season, though, after a few season with many injuries, Warriors’ center returned on the subject: “Fans think it’s real, like that’s real life and they think I’m a dumb person. It’s just really disappointing that grown men make it a hashtag and really just trying to ruin someone’s career over basketball mistakes.”

Shaq, though, never seemed touched by that and has kept constantly nominating McGee in his Shaqtins. Truth to be told, JaVale hasn’t done anything to avoid that, making exhilarating mistakes during games. At the end, Shaq did a public promise, he offered to keep McGee out of Shaqtin’ a Fool if the center was able to avoid Shaqtiny mistakes in the next three games. All among Shaq’s colleagues laughters. That’s until McGee posted a picture on social, showing his new haircut to his followers.

Shaq hasn’t resisted the temptation to tease Golden State’s center, writing among the hashtags this like “Gave you 3 chances” and “Trying to give you a pass [to stay out of Shaqtin’ a Fool]", mocking another time McGee. Whom, by his side, wanted to respond with an inappropriate picture. He posted a photo of Shaq’s with a chicken cap beside Bert Williams’ picture, a famous black actor from the early nineties.

JaVale’s post provoked quite a clamor because his attempt to compare Shaq to a comic clashed into Bert Williams’ story. In fact, he was a black immigrant who fought for years to let black men and women work in the show business. What it should’ve been a television quarrel turned out to be something more and maybe both Shaq and JaVale should come back doing what they do best, make us laugh.