Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

Shaquille O’Neal posts hilarious comparison with Nikola Jokic after controversial MVP announcement

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ubong Archibong | Last updated 5/18/24

Shaquille O’Neal is considered as one of the greatest big men in the history of the NBA, and recently was compared to Nikola Jokic in a humorous Instagram video. The video in question featured two glasses of water, which represented Shaq and Jokic, with water being poured into each glass to represent their different skills such as scoring, athleticism, and dominance.

Furthermore, the comparison showed that Shaq and Jokic were evenly matched in many areas, with Shaquille O’Neal having an edge in defense and dominance, while Nikola Jokic was considered a better scorer and more laid-back. This comparison while amusing is not new, as the Joker has often been likened to Big Shaq due to his dominant play.

Jokic has achieved impressive individual accolades, which includes three NBA MVP awards, while O’Neal has won only one MVP award during his career. However, Shaq has more championship rings, with four NBA titles and three Finals MVP awards, compared to Jokic’s one championship and Finals MVP.

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A post shared by DR. SHAQUILLE O’NEAL Ed.D. (@shaq)

However, the two big men have differing career statistics, as the reigning MVP has averaged 28.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 0.7 blocks per game in his nine seasons, while Shaq averaged 23.9 points, 10.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 blocks per game in over 19 seasons. Moreover, it’s important to note that Shaq’s numbers declined in his later years, while Jokic is still in his prime.

Shaquille O’Neal clears the air about his Shai Gilgeous-Alexander MVP comments

Shaquille O’Neal faced criticism when he told Nikola Jokic that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserved the 2024 NBA MVP award more than him. This comment was made during a TNT interview with Jokic after he was named the league’s most valuable player.

On the Point Game podcast, Shaq explained his reasoning and stated that he wanted to tell Jokic directly to avoid his words being twisted by others. He also emphasized that his opinion was not meant as a diss towards Jokic, but rather as a genuine assessment of SGA’s performance.

I hate when people act like they don't hear me when I speak clearly. The reason why I told Joker man-to-man is because when you say things, everybody wants to get in and twist it. And the first thing I told him, I said, 'You're the best big man in the league, but this is no disrespect to you. I want to tell you here so people ain't twisting my words. I thought SGA should've been MVP. That's not a diss; that's called real.' Shaquille O’Neal said “On the Point Game” podcast

Furthermore, Shaq clarified that he has high respect for Jokic, and called him the best big man in the league. However, he believed Gilgeous-Alexander was more deserving of the MVP award, and wanted to express his opinion straightforwardly to avoid misinterpretation.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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