NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley have very different opinions of what it means to be sick as an NBA player. Barkley thinks if a star is sick and the coach sees he’s “got nothing in the tank” he should take the player out of the game and fight on with what’s left of the team roster. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Shaq says if the player is in uniform, he’s got to play. Shaq says some of the greatest players in NBA history have played when ill — noteworthy is Michael Jordan‘s famous “flu game” in the playoffs
NBA sickness and what it means is a big topic just now because of Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. Embiid is an NBA All-Star who likes to talk to his opponents during games. Embiid wags his finger at opposing players after blocked shots and generally likes to talk trash. (Trash-talking is a time-honored NBA tradition — legends like Larry Bird, Gary Payton and Kevin Garnett all talked big-time trash. They also have NBA championship rings, which Embiid does not. Note: they certainly talked trash before they won titles.)
But in the last couple NBA playoff games against the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors, Embiid hasn’t had much energy for trash talk. He’s been sick. At least that’s what fans have been told, even though Embiid has been lacing up his shoes and getting out on the floor. Shaq says simply: “You’re out there you gotta play, Shaq.” Kenny Smith agrees with Shaq, believing fans shouldn’t even know Embiid doesn’t feel well — and nor should the Raptors. If he’s playing, he’s playing. It’s binary. Yes or no.
