Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid could put together a whole bulletin board of quotes from the legendary center, Shaquille O’Neal. If he had a board already, then Embiid has another message to add to it, as the former Los Angeles Lakers superstar went on another rant dedicated to Embiid during halftime of Tuesday’s Sixers-Knicks game.

“This was the fear I had for Joel Embiid… You announced arrogantly, ‘I’m not playing back-to-backs. I’m not injured, but I’m sore. I come in when I want to come back.’ Now, when you say things like that, you’re supposed to come back with extra energy. 0-3? I would’ve been 0-15, but you know what ya’ll would’ve said? Shaq’s not playing well, but he’s playing aggressive. The plan is not working. Not only that, I say this respectfully: Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his energy right.”

Shaq’s quotes went viral on Tuesday night as the Sixers battled it out against the New York Knicks for their first set of NBA Cup action.

For Embiid, it was his 2024-2025 NBA season debut.

Heading into training camp back in October, Embiid made it clear that he will take a different approach to the regular season. MVP? Not a thought. All-Star game? It doesn’t matter. Back-to-backs? Never again. The only thing Embiid claims to worry about is getting to the playoffs healthy.

The big man didn’t scrimmage throughout training camp. He missed the entire six-game preseason schedule. Prior to Tuesday’s game against the Knicks, Embiid sat out for nine games, with three of his absences due to a suspension.

When Embiid returned on Tuesday to face the Knicks, he was on a minutes restriction. He checked in for 26 minutes total. Admittedly, the star center was rusty, and it showed.

“Overall, I felt pretty good health-wise,” Embiid said after the game. “It’s just about trusting myself. I stuck with a lot of jumpers just to get myself a little comfortable. As the game goes on, I was getting back to myself.”

Embiid finished the game with 13 points on 18 percent shooting from the field. He had three rebounds, five assists, and a block in the 12-point loss against the Knicks.

The Sixers will return to the floor on Wednesday night to face the Cleveland Cavaliers. As expected, Embiid will take the night off due to knee injury management. He could return to the action on Friday when the Sixers pay a visit to the Orlando Magic.