“I hear you broke boy” – Shaquille O’Neal responds to a fan burning his jersey for being named honorary FBI special agent by Kash Patel

Shaquille O’Neal recently graduated from the FBI National Academy and was thereafter honored by the Bureau. Director Kash Patel announced on X on Sept. 17, Thursday, that the NBA Hall of Famer received an honorary Special Agent title for his long-time support of law enforcement.

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Congratulations to our newest session of FBI National Academy graduates session 299 – represented by 265 law enforcement officials from around the country.

This session is historic – FBI was honored to be joined by one of the best supporters of law enforcement in the country -… pic.twitter.com/GeIBiBf9Sr

— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) September 17, 2026

Apparently, not everyone is happy with this development. A fan named Matthew Chappelle reacted by burning O’Neal’s jersey, but his issue wasn’t necessarily because of the Big Diesel’s backing of law enforcement.

Instead, Chappelle, known on social media as “OG Matt,” took issue with who handed him the honor. He made it clear that accepting the plaque from Patel changed how he viewed the basketball legend. And when Shaq caught wind of the criticism, he didn’t let it slide.

Shaq’s savage reply

Chappelle posted his reaction video on Instagram on Sept. 18. It showed him splicing a different clip of the Shaq special agent announcement, followed by OG Matt walking to his closet, picking up an old O’Neal Orlando Magic No. 32 jersey, and throwing it in the garbage bin.

“I stand on morals and principles. You f—ing with n—gga?… You f—ing with that clown-a— n—gga, f—k that s—t,” Matt said in the video.

🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

SHAQ IS DIGGING IN ON Democrat Matt. pic.twitter.com/eApw2RK9bf

— Skriptkeeper Music (@Skriptkeeper17) September 19, 2026

Not long after, Shaq actually slid into Matt’s DMs and dissed the content creator: “I hear you broke boy. Have a great time in your apt (apartment) with your family.”

OG Matt didn’t like Shaq’s diss, going at the former NBA big man in an explicit rant filled with insults and threats.

For his part, the Big Fella has never been particularly shy about firing back when someone takes a shot at him. Whether it comes from his buddy Charles Barkley or someone from social media, the four-time champ has a habit of responding in kind, often in the form of a playful insult.

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This time was no different, although his choice of words only gave OG Matt plenty of material for a rebuttal.

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What’s wrong with the FBI and Patel?

As mentioned, Matt’s issue was primarily with Patel and the FBI. It trickled down to Shaq, who apparently showed support for the Bureau by attending the 299th class of their National Academy.

What’s exactly wrong with the FBI, according to critics like Chappelle? Well, the criticism centered on the FBI’s leadership, political controversies, and a heavily criticized policy rollout under the FBI Director.

One of these policies is the Bureau’s loosened hiring standards. Just days earlier, Patel faced scrutiny from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. Among the issues raised was an FBI hiring policy change involving certain conduct violations, including bestiality and prostitution, which were previously considered automatic disqualifiers.

That said, none of that means O’Neal shares Patel’s politics or agrees with every decision made under his leadership. Shaq’s relationship with law enforcement goes back decades, and his interest in police work has been well documented.

Still, that probably won’t end this back-and-forth with Chapelle. OG Matt had plenty more to say after Shaq’s first message, and knowing O’Neal, another response is probably in the works. Matt better be watching his DMs from hereon out.

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This story was originally published September 20, 2026 at 7:09 AM.