Shaquille O’Neal admits he can’t figure out two current NBA stars, including MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Ja Morant and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the two NBA players that Shaquille O’Neal can’t figure out

During the prime of his career, O’Neal was one of the most dominant players ever. He spearheaded the Lakers’ three NBA Championships from 2000 to 2002.

In 2025, as an analyst, O’Neal rarely shies away from giving his opinion on the current state of the league. He has often criticized the current era as being weaker than his.

However, even the Big Aristotle had to tip his hat to Gilgeous-Alexander and Ja Morant on a recent episode of ‘The Big Podcast with Shaq.’

“Ja and Shai are similar, they got a weird dope game, you can’t, I can’t figure out; I can’t figure Shai off. I’m sitting there trying to compare him to somebody I don’t know. Ja’s just like that too,” O’Neal admitted.

It’s a great honor for Morant and SGA to receive such praise from the 4x NBA champion. But even with O’Neal saying the two stars have a ‘weird dope’ game, it’s easy to reach a conclusion.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is better than Ja Morant

If someone were asked to pick between SGA and Morant at the time they were drafted into the NBA, most would have picked the Memphis Grizzlies star as the better player.

After all, Morant was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft as compared to Shai being selected at the 18th spot in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Morant also won the NBA’s Rookie of the Year award, while Gilgeous-Alexander was traded to the Thunder after his rookie season.

But fast forward to 2025, and SGA has proven he’s leagues ahead of Morant. In fact, data provided by Sofascore backs this claim.

SGA averaged 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists over 76 games for the Thunder, while Morant put up 23.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 7.3 assists over 50 games for the Grizzlies.

Gilgeous-Alexander also shot 52% from the field and 37% from the three-point line compared to Morant’s 45% from the field and 31% from deep.

Additionally, Shai is having a historic postseason run, carrying the Thunder on his back. That includes sweeping the Morant-led Grizzlies in the first round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs.

In conclusion, O’Neal may have given his flowers to both Gilgeous-Alexander and Morant, but the difference between the two stars is as different as day and night.