The NBA is the National Pastime of Black America and everything about it is decidedly "Urban", even the way the media and athletes communicate. I don't know if you've been under a rock but the last great big man in basketball is now talking trash about the current great big man. The so called "Beef" is filled with the kind of stuff Rappers "Beef" about; "Old School vs. New School", " Bitin" and just plain old macho bullshit..but it works. Shaq is no stranger to Beef, because his feud with Kobe Bryant and thrown Molotov cocktails on the way out of town is as much a signature as his monster game. I mean seriously, this is a microphone in the hand of a guy who free styled that Kobe should "tell me how my ass taste" so don't be surprised that he's stirring up the pot with a kid who clearly needs a hug. Dwight Howard is genuinely a nice kid, a Georgia Church Boy who wants to be loved, and he may not be thick skinned enough to deal with the new media. If you haven't been paying attention Sports media, specifically NBA coverage is driven by the outspoken guys who combine journalistic acumen with Barber Shop tone and flair. The Barbershop traditionally is where Black men unwind, commiserate, debate sports and talk shit in no particular order. Stephen A. Smith is clearly the pied piper of this genre, but Charles Barkley is the MJ among the Ex Ballers when it comes to "keeping it real". Even if keeping it real is "real stupid", when Brotha's talk about Hoops it can sometimes be better than the game; which is why the NBA built a show around the concept and called it "Open Court". Shaq is the newest member of TNT; a studio show that sweeps the Emmy's fueled by Barkley's impromptu " i don't give a damn" analysis. Shaq has to target Dwight Howard as a matter of establishing story lines and setting the jock vs. media tone for the 2012 season-he's merely "getting his Skip Bayless on". Barkley had to chime in with some crazy shit about Lebron being better than Jordan, because it isn't entertaining to bring up that with no armbars and hard fouls MJ would average 40 ppg. in 2012. It's all legal, and it's the new normal, plus the interest level in what ex players and bombastic media members say is the proverbial proof positive. In more quaint times Rick Barry would be ostracized for talking shit, now taking rips at a current player is good enough to get him booked in Bristol for the next week. And when he's there he can hock a new book,product or website he's launching, how else would he have gotten the airtime?. The chilluns call it "hatin" because the under 25 crowd aren't even aware that there is a such thing as criticism-look it up under "opinion". They've been idolized by their parents; and anything said to them that isn't geared towards they're Global Conquest is pure evil. No wonder Twitter calls it "followers" instead of "people who agree to read whatever crazy shit pops up in my head". When i was young, older people who criticized us about everything was just a fact of life, and if they got you riled up (in my family) they'd laugh. The NBA is about those relationships, and the cultural hot spot of the Barbershop with the OG's telling young bucks about Connie Hawkins is a place that weaves generations together. Soon, we will expect the "big diss" with anticipation and sentimentality because when the insults start flying we'll know it's close to hoop season.
A comeback for "D12"
Whenever Shaq takes a shot at you remind him of this: Dennis Rodman, a man Kobes height was the most dominant rebounder during HIS era. You are the statistical leader in all "Big Man" categories because you play your size every night. Also tell him that although he is a Champion, when people whisper about underachievers his name is often mentioned.Tell him you'll never get run out of town after reaching the finals for being well, portly because you have Supermans physique. Remind him that he turned on every guard he ever played with because he never commanded the respect that say a Bill Russell or Hakeem Olajuwon did. Tell him, Superman's alter ego "Clark Kent" was humble and kind of shy like you and that his often obnoxious personality qualifies him for a different kind of comic book persona....
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