Shaquille O'Neal's Heated Message For Shannon Sharpe: 'You Still Under Me'

Shaquille O'Neal is not playing around!

After hearing what ex-NFL player and podcast host Shannon Sharpe had to say about him recently, O'Neal shared some heated words on Instagram.

It all started when O'Neal shared his thoughts on Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic being awarded the NBA's MVP earlier this week. The NBA legend personally felt that Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was more deserving of the award after leading the youngest roster in the league to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.

After congratulating Jokic, O'Neal told him he felt SGA deserved the award over him and then the chatter started from anyone who didn't agree or thought maybe O'Neal should have kept that to himself.

One person who turned the chatter into screaming was Sharpe, who talked about it on his podcast. And then the beef began...

Sharpe shared his thoughts about O'Neal on his podcast and then things got really heated.

Not only did Sharpe call O'Neal "envious" but he also said "Shaq should have five MVPs," and said if "Shaq would've had my work ethic, he would have 40,000 points."

Sharpe shared a clip from the podcast on his Instagram page and fans chimed in on his thoughts about O'Neal not being part of the "GOAT" conversation.

"But Kobe only has 1 MVP and we put him in the GOAT debate," one fan pointed out. Another said, "Shaq is never brought up in goat convo Unc? Look up any NBA podcast on YouTube where they discuss goats and you’ll change your answer."

Many others also stood up for O'Neal and some even warned Sharpe of what's to come when O'Neal hears what he said.

If you thought the tea was hot before O'Neal's response, wait until you read his message to Sharpe on Instagram.

The photo shared says, "NFL 100 Greatest" ranks the top 100 characters in NFL history, and former Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe lands at No. 51." And then came the caption...

"You took me sticking up @shai as jealousy of Joker. Shows how smart you are and how you say anything to get clicks. So here's some click-bait for you," O'Neal began his Instagram caption. "If you ain't ranked in the top ten in your profession, then you can't speak on me. Don't forget I know what you did to get where you at. Me jealous, sounds like you jealous."

And that's not where the heated words ended. There's more!

"Four rings, three Finals MVP, top 50 and top 75. Google me. And to be quite frank, all this new success you got, you still under me," O'Neal continued. "You don't know my work ethic. But according, I work less than you but I'm worth more than you. Make it make sense."

O'Neal didn't hold back his thoughts, and fans are here for it!

"Shaq really chose violence at 10:40 pm," one fan wrote in the comments. Another shared, "Can we get a Shaq interview on Club Shay Shay!? Tell him to his face."

Simply captioned, "The daddy don’t usually respond but I got time today," O'Neal kept the fire burning.

More fans dropped into the comment section to give their thoughts, with many thinking O'Neal shouldn't have done Jokic the way he did.

"Dude you are awesome, have been a huge fan since forever. An absolute legend of the game both on and off the court. Love watching Inside the NBA as much as I can. BUT what you said to Nikola the other day when presenting him with his hard-earned MVP was outright disrespectful, childish, and cringe ngl. Jokic has always been a class act and respectful to you. The man deserves an on-air apology, to be honest."

Another person shared a similar thought, "You are so cringe bro. You’re a great basketball player, we know. But you’re so insecure it’s insane. Just accept that you’re not right all the time."

"I've never professed that I was as great as Shaq. But what I will say, I got what I got, because I worked my a-- off," Sharpe said in a clip shared on Instagram.

"Now Shaq has been the one to say it, that he didn't work as hard, he didn't train as hard, he didn't eat as well as he should have. Shaq is the one that anytime someone wins an MVP he talks about how he should have been the MVP over Steve Nash."

Sharpe then praised himself for how he gives other people credit where credit is due, as well as for his discipline. He then posed a question for O'Neal.

"My question is, do you believe that you gave everything you possibly could in basketball? Did you train the way you should have? Did you eat the way you should have?" Sharpe asked.

"Unc, I love your approach! Stand up for yourself at all times. No man is 'bigger' than another! Period! You're both respected and accomplished in your own rights," one viewer shared in the comments.

Another said, "This needs to be squashed ASAP in private - face to face."