CLAY: Now, I wanted to give credit to Shaquille O’Neal. A lot of you will know Shaq. Big, seven-foot star basketball player who is on the TNT broadcast inside of the studio with Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, they do a phenomenal job, Kenny “The Jet” Smith.

BUCK: Most dominant center of all time, Clay, fair to say?

CLAY: Up there. Wilt Chamberlain would probably be the answer, but maybe the most physically imposing, I think it may be fair to say. He played with the Lakers, and Shaq, a lot of you down in Orlando. When I was a kid, Shaquille O’Neal, his basketball card was a revelation. We all chased it. But he’s been a relatively middle of the road guy, right?

He kind of followed the Michael Jordan path, as many of those athletes of that era did. But Shaq on his podcast yesterday was discussing with his cohost the idea of covid vaccine mandates, and Shaq was not in any way a big fan. I want you to listen to this. I just want to give credit right here to so many people in both athletics, pop culture media who have been willing to stand up even though there are many people out there trying to cancel opinions like these.

Shaq was steadfast and clear that he was not going to support vaccine mandates. He is talking, by the way, with his cohost, Nischelle Turner. This is their audio interaction on that podcast. Listen.

Shaq comes out against vaccine mandates on his podcast. I have gained so much respect for many different people in public positions who have had the courage to stand up for individual freedoms despite all the pressures against doing so. pic.twitter.com/Uig6Rz7q1D

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 4, 2022

BUCK: Isn’t it amazing, Clay, that we even have reached a point now where people who are okay with all of this will suggest that they don’t even understand that this is force. They don’t even understand that obviously being told that you might lose your job unless you do something is a threat.

CLAY: Yes.

BUCK: And that’s where we are now. “Oh, that’s not force!” Yes, it is. It absolutely is force. We have been told to do this or else. It’s been told to us “or else.”

Shaq to Biden’s vaccine mandate. pic.twitter.com/dFryqT2CRt

— Clay Travis (@ClayTravis) February 4, 2022

CLAY: And then people will brag about how effective the mandates are. Yeah. If you tell me that I’m gonna lose my job — and Shaq’s point there sad good one. It’s the one that I’ve been making for a long time. Lots of guys and girls out there, they don’t want to get the vaccine. They have a choice: “I can keep the job that I’ve had for a long time and I can afford to take care of my family, or I may have to get the covid vaccine” that you don’t want and, frankly, that you don’t need.

I gotta give credit. It’s just common sense what people like Shaq are saying. Give people a choice. If you don’t want to get it, you shouldn’t have to. That’s why it’s so ridiculous, Buck. I mean, they continue to rewrite this. I’m anti-vaccine. You’re not anti-vaccine. I’m anti-vaccine mandate for covid. That’s a big difference between being what they’ve tried to brand us as, “Oh, you’re anti-vax.” No, my kids are vaccinated for measles, mumps, and rubella. By the way, those vaccines work, which is kind of a big deal. But if people want to get the covid shot, they can.