If there were one rule in today’s NBA that Shaquille O’Neal would change, it would be to “let them fight.” He passed this mantra on to a New York Knicks guard who lost a chunk of his money over a suspension. The player recently shed light on the incident on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, recalling how Shaq backed him later.
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The fight was between Jose Alvarado and Phoenix Suns center Mark Williams in December. He explained what led to the scuffle. Officials called a foul on the then-Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado for running into Williams on a screen. But Williams did not appreciate the foul and pushed Alvarado. “Once he pushed me in the back, I was like, oh, I was on tap,” Alvarado said. A fight broke out, and Alvarado landed a quick hook, catching Williams flush. The NBA ejected both players. Later, the NBA gave Alvarado a two-game suspension and Williams a one-game ban.
Later, Shaq called Alvarado and backed him. “Shout out to Shaq, yo, he’s funny,” Alvarado said of O’Neal. “He called me right away. He said, ‘That’s how you do it, young fella.’ ‘How much you think you’re going to run me, Shaq?’ He’s like,’ Don’t worry about that, that’s chump change.’ And I was like, Shaq, ‘There’s a different payroll out here, boy.’
Jose Alvarado breaking down his fight with Mark Williams and how Shaq called him after & said the fine is “chump change” "He said, 'That's how you do it, young fella' ... I was like, 'Shaq, it's a different payroll over here.'" 🤣💀(via @7PMinBrooklyn)
The two-game suspension hit Alvarado’s wallet hard, costing him $62,069 based on the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement, which docks players 1/145th of their salary for each game missed. The 4x NBA champion could dismiss the fine as ‘chump change’ thanks to the more than $286 million he earned from his own NBA contracts.
Clearly, Jose is a role player, which is why his salary is comparatively lower. The current Knicks star has already experienced negative consequences from the league, so he knows financially it will be more draining if he keeps getting involved in brawls.
Why Alvarado didn’t listen to Shaquille O’Neal’s encouragement
Alvarado has faced fines before in an on-court altercation in February 2024 during the New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat matchup. While officials were managing a confrontation between Jimmy Butler and Naji Marshall, Alvarado and Heat center Thomas Bryant engaged in a physical fight near the scorers’ table.
“I got fined for doing the same thing to another big fella,” Alvarado said on the podcast. “Three games. So I’m like, yo, I’m done — I’m going to get my money worth. Little do you know, my check didn’t move for like three months. I told my family, yo, we got to save, bro. We’re going to be down three months.” That earlier suspension cost him three games without pay and a fine of roughly $35,172, which was a significant hit for a player on a $1.7 million rookie contract.
So far, Alvarado has lost $100k in fines. That’s why he wants to stop. But O’Neal loved the fiery spirit of the Brooklyn native and wants him to continue. As we begin the playoffs, the stakes are higher, and so will be the emotions. There is a possibility that Shaq’s words of encouragement might lead to some action.
