NBA Legend Hopes Tom Brady Punches Barstool Founder Over ‘Lame’ Comments

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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal did not hold back this week when responding to recent criticism of his longtime friend Tom Brady.

In an exclusive interview with Page Six, the Hall of Fame center took aim at Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy, who had publicly dismissed Brady’s post-NFL career as “cringey” and “lame.”

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“This is a legacy that is being lame-ified,” Portnoy declared. “What is happening with Tom Brady post-retirement is one of the great downfalls of an icon.”

Portnoy’s comments came during a “Wake Up Barstool” segment in which he criticized the seven-time Super Bowl champion for appearances alongside influencers like Logan Paul and for lighthearted skits at events such as Fanatics Fest in New York.

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Brady Slaps Logan Paul at Fanatics Fest

During a panel at the Jacob Javits Center recently, Brady and the WWE star came face-to-face on stage with Knicks big man Karl-Anthony Towns, awkwardly stuck in the middle.

What started as the usual trash talk quickly escalated when Brady reached past Towns and slapped Paul across the face. Yes, actually slapped him. The crowd let out a collective gasp as security and Towns jumped in to separate the two before it turned into a full-blown brawl.

The two are clearly setting up a wrestling match down the line.

Shaq Defends Tom Brady from Portnoy

O’Neal, who has remained close with Brady in recent years, pushed back hard.

“Dave talks a lot,” he said. “He’s one of those lucky guys who had a lot of success. So, he thinks his point of view is important.”

The 54-year-old former Lakers star went further, offering a blunt personal assessment.

“I’d be glad if somebody punches him in the face. And I hope it’s Tom,” he added. “I try to be nice, [but] you can tell him I said that.”

It should be noted that O’Neal has dabbled in the professional wrestling arts as well. Could we be seeing a tag team forming here?

O’Neal continued, stating that opinions from “idiots” like Portnoy “never” matter.

He also defended Brady’s current path, insisting the retired quarterback is fully in control of his image.

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

This isn’t the first time O’Neal and Portnoy have mixed it up. They went at each other on Twitter back in 2023, but when they ran into one another at UFC 314 in 2025, the talk stayed surprisingly civil — they even ended up chatting about the stock market.

O’Neal offered the comments while promoting his new true-crime series, “Game Day Murders,” which premieres Monday on Investigation Discovery and will also stream on HBO Max. The self-described true-crime fan said the genre appeals to him because “everybody has that detective in them.”

Portnoy has not publicly responded to O’Neal’s latest remarks. Brady, meanwhile, has remained quiet on the matter, continuing to make selective public appearances in the months since stepping away from full-time football. There’s no doubt, though, that he’ll see Paul in the squared circle sometime soon.

Could O’Neal be in his corner when that happens?

avatar Rusty Weiss is a lifelong Los Angeles Dodgers, Dallas Cowboys, and Xavier Musketeers fan. He has been writing professionally ... More about Rusty Weiss