Shaq says that Nuggets must win a ring for his respect
The Denver Nuggets may not get the respect they deserve unless they win it all.
After completing their second consecutive 3-1 comeback this postseason, Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray implored for the national media to give his team respect and to paint them in a better light.
While there were many members in the national media who did just that, like Stephen A. Smith, prominent members of TNT’s “Inside the NBA” crew have resisted it.
Prior to Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, Hall of Fame forward Charles Barkley guaranteed that the Lakers would defeat the Nuggets in five games. He declared that the series would be a sweep after Denver’s lopsided loss to LA in Game 1.
Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t as disrespectful as Barkley but he still refuses to give the Nuggets respect. At least, not unless they defeat the Lakers and win the NBA championship.
Starting with an anecdote about how he wanted respect because his Orlando Magic team defeated Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls in the 1995 Eastern Conference semifinals, he noted that his father told him that they didn’t deserve respect for beating the Bulls.
According to his father, they hadn’t done anything yet (h/t Ron Gutterman of Lakers Nation):
"“After we beat Michael Jordan, I said the same thing to my father. He said, ‘What’s wrong? You’re not smiling.’ I said, ‘Ernie and the guys still don’t respect me.’ You know my father said? ‘You ain’t done nothing yet.’ And what happened the next round? We got swept by the Rockets.So, you want my respect? Win a ring. If you want to be on this level with me and Kenny (Smith), win a ring. Listen, how you’re playing is remarkable. We’re going to give you all the props, you hit some great shots, you’re playing your ass off. But, you want my respect? Win the whole thing. You came back down 3-1 twice, you get the golf clap. But, you want my respect? You want to impress me? Beat the Lakers and win a championship.”"
Coming from a player who places heavy stock in the “RINGZ” culture, where the respect you earn is directly tied to the number of championships you win and seemingly little else, this is unsurprising coming from Shaq. It’s as unsurprising as Barkley’s trolling because they have the same personalities they displayed in their playing days.
Undoubtedly, there will be many who remember this team’s playoff run no matter how the Western Conference Finals pan out.
Nonetheless, if the Nuggets want the level of respect that they desire, it is clear that it won’t happen unless they defeat the Lakers or win a championship.