Moms Wade into Shaq-JaVale McGee Feud

The highest authority available says the sports world's biggest ongoing feud, between TNT analyst Shaquille O'Neal and Golden State Warriors center JaVale McGee, must end.

The decree comes from O'Neal's mom, Lucille O'Neal, according to Mike Wise of the Undefeated. Shaq says that he was given "orders from the top to leave it alone," and he's not about to disobey his mom.

But is it over? Not according to someone else's mom:

"He cyberbullied my son," Pamela McGee said in an emotional, 30-minute conversation. "Totally inappropriate. Shaquille needs to lose his job or be suspended. The NBA needs to make a stand."

In case you need some background here: O'Neal has made McGee a recurring part of a blooper reel called "Shaqtin' A Fool."

In return, McGee told Shaq to "eat a dick" and called him a "coon," comparing O'Neal to a minstrel character for a white audience whose mission is to tear other black men down. And while many TNT viewers and critics are unhappy with what Shaq brings to broadcasts, those are serious charges from one African-American to another.

McGee's mom told Wise that it's an emotional response because her son has had enough with the teasing:

"If you really want to get technical with it, it's bullying," Pamela McGee said from her home in Northern Virginia. "We all have little jokes and stuff. But when you continue to pick on just one person – as his career is resurrecting – there's nothing to it but bullying. And it's unacceptable. You can't allow someone to continue to do this who represents TNT and the NBA. He is a representative of TNT and the NBA. Broadcasters are held to a higher authority. He should lose his job."

TNT's not going to sack Shaq because of the feud; after all, they're complicit with creating these segments highlighting McGee's mistakes. Maybe if Pamela McGee went to the NBA and said, hey, tell your proxy network to cut it out, she'd get some satisfaction.

This probably isn't over. Golden State remains one of the best teams in the league, and McGee has become a successful part of its operations. Shaq is going to get a chance to make fun of McGee again the next time he messes up. Will he listen to his mom?