Shaq Dunks On Vaccine Mandates: ‘You Shouldn’t Have to Be Forced to Take Something You Don’t Want’

Larger-than-life former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal dunked on vaccine mandates yesterday during his weekly podcast.

“The Big Podcast with Shaq” is an Apple podcast that O’Neal hosts along with his co-hosts Nischelle Turner and Anthony “Spice” Adams.

O’Neal, the Basketball Hall of Famer who won NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat during his career, encouraged his listeners to “be safe and “take care of your family,” but pulled back the reigns on a mandate.

“But it’s just, people don’t want to take it, and you shouldn’t be forced to take something you don’t want,” O’Neal explained.

Turner pushed back and attempted to spin the situation but O’Neal wasn’t having it as he told her, “It is forced because if the man don’t take it, the man gonna get fired.”

Clay Travis applauded O’Neal’s stance and declared in a tweet where he shared the audio from the podcast, “Shaq comes out against vaccine mandates on his podcast.”

“I have gained so much respect for many different people in public positions who have had the courage to stand up for individual freedoms despite all the pressures against doing so,” Travis added.

Shaq comes out against vaccine mandates on his podcast. I have gained so much respect for many different people in public positions who have had the courage to stand up for individual freedoms despite all the pressures against doing so. pic.twitter.com/Uig6Rz7q1D

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 4, 2022

Twitter user “Big Franky” responded to the audio clip of the exchange between the two and said, “@SHAQ is 100% spot-on here… and @nischelleturner trying to say that mandates aren’t forcing someone to do something is the unintentional comedy I didn’t realize I needed tonight. omigosh that is priceless.”

Turner replied to him defensively in a quote tweet where she said, “You need to hear the entire conversation before you tweet someone. I encourage you to listen to it. Yes, that is the definition, but we were making a bigger point. And if you listen to the entire conversation, Shaquille agreed with the point I was making. But go off tho…” along with an eye-roll emoji.

You need to hear the entire conversation before you tweet someone. I encourage you to listen to it. Yes, that is the definition, but we were making a bigger point. And if you listen to the entire conversation, Shaquille agreed with the point I was making. But go off tho…🙄 https://t.co/OL6hjDJpoY

— Nischelle Turner (@nischelleturner) February 4, 2022