Shaquille O’Neal did not stay silent after Dave Portnoy’s recent comments about longtime friend Tom Brady. The NBA legend came to the former quarterback’s defense and even joked that Brady should settle the matter himself.

“Dave talks a lot,” O’Neal told Page Six, responding to the Barstool Sports founder’s remarks describing Brady’s post-NFL life as “cringey” and “lame.”

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“He’s one of those lucky guys who has had a lot of success, so he thinks his point of view is important,” Shaq added.

The four-time NBA champion then took his criticism a step further.

“I’d be glad if somebody punches him in the face. And I hope it’s Tom,” O’Neal said.

“I try to be nice, but you can tell him I said that,” he continued, dismissing Portnoy’s opinions by saying that “idiots” like him have views that “never matter.”

Shaq defends Tom Brady

O’Neal also praised Brady’s transition into life after football, insisting the seven-time Super Bowl champion knows exactly what he’s doing.

“He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he’s doing it so well,” Shaq said.

Portnoy recently criticized Brady during an episode of Wake Up Barstool, arguing that the former NFL star had become “lame-ified” because of his recent public appearances, including collaborations with Logan Paul and comedy skits during Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Fest in New York.

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A longtime friendship

Brady and O’Neal have maintained a close friendship for years. Following Netflix’s The Roast of Tom Brady in 2025, Shaq invited Brady onto his podcast and admitted he was worried the jokes may have upset him.

Brady quickly dismissed those concerns.

“I love being made fun of,” the former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback told O’Neal.

This is not the first time Shaq has publicly clashed with Portnoy.

In 2023, after Portnoy called former LSU basketball star Angel Reese “classless” on social media, O’Neal fired back by replying, “And so is your mother.”

Despite that exchange, Portnoy later revealed on a 2025 podcast that the two had a friendly conversation when they crossed paths at UFC 314, where they discussed the stock market.

O’Neal made the latest comments while promoting his upcoming true-crime series, Game Day Murders, which premieres July 27 on Investigation Discovery and will also stream on HBO Max.