Steve Nash slams Shaquille O'Neal, 'You couldn't make a free throw'

The NBA on TNT, a basketball-centric show hosted mostly by former NBA players, never fails to provide quality entertainment. They interviewed two-time MVP and incoming Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash about his new job. During the interview, Three-time MVP Shaquille O'Neal claimed that Nash "stole" two of his (potential) MVP awards during the 2004-2005 and 2005-2006 season.

According to Sports Rush, Nash replied with the bitter truth. "You couldn't make a free throw."

Anyone who knows anything about basketball knows that O'Neal's free throw is a joke. The 7'2", 300lbs agile center is unstoppable in the paint. All is well until you send him to the line where he is a career 52.7% free throw shooter.

Entire defensive strategies by opposing teams revolved around fouling the big man to prevent him from scoring. The strategy is known as "Hack-a-Shaq."

It is a more refined version of the "Jordan Rules" defensive strategy. However, unlike O'Neal, six-time MVP and GOAT Michael Jordan is an 83.5% free-throw shooter.

Nash, on the other hand, beats them both. He was a 90.4% free throw shooter during his career in the NBA. In the 2005-2006 season, his second MVP year, he shot 92.1%, the best in the league that year.

Nash's MVPs were attributed to his passing; before the 2005-2006 season, he never averaged double digits in assists. He averaged 11.5 in 2004-2005 and 10.5 in the next season, resulting in the "stolen" awards. O'Neal on the other hand, dominated the paint scoring 20 plus points and 10+ rebounds. It was also some of his best free shooting years, shooting 60% from the line. Nevertheless, Nash came out on top and the two legends are still having some playful banter about it now.

Nash has figured in many controversies the last few weeks after being signed as the head coach of the Brooklyn Nets. Critics called it "white privilege" since he went from a "player development consultant" of the Golden State Warriors to head coach of a team with two of the most prolific players and vocal social advocates.

One of those players, Kevin Durant, played for the Golden State Warriors and is familiar with Nash. He claims that Nash is one of the few people in the world that helped him improve his game and even helped 3-point monster Stephen Curry improve his jump shot.

The Nash scenario isn't actually unheard of in the NBA. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is also white and did not have prior coaching experience, but worked under Phil Jackson with the Bulls late in the Jordan era and with Gregg Popovich during the San Antonio Spurs heyday.

Kerr led the Warriors to five NBA finals appearances in the last five years, winning three. Nash will have a lot to prove in the coming season and it remains to be seen if his success as a player translates to success as a head coach.