Hall of Famer and loquacious commentator Shaquille O’Neal has professional crushes on various NBA players. The big fella has long said Steph Curry is his favorite player in the NBA, an opinion that’s hardly rare.
But Shaq doesn’t always crush so easily on big men — it’s easier for Shaq, as a formerly dominant big himself, to see what they can’t or don’t do right.
Shaq, for example, respects the game and skill set of 76ers star Joel Embiid, but he also frequently suggests that Embiid is “settling” for jump shots when he should be more powerful in the paint.
There is one big man in today’s NBA, however, who gets all kinds of Shaq love. That is the 2x NBA MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Shaq respects Jokic so deeply that he even tries to speak the Serbian Jokic’s language from time to time, often with hilarious results.
Still, the mutual affection between the two men is earned. Jokic is the only big man in the league, it seems, with whom Shaq can find no fault. Again, this is not a rare opinion — hence the back-to-back MVPs.
Yet Shaq’s admiration is notable for how it goes beyond accomplishments to the very style of how Jokic plays, with an emphasis on great vision and passing, two aspects of the game at which Shaq, dominant as he was, did not rise not up to Jokic’s level.
The differences in style open an avenue for Shaq to perhaps criticize the best way to play the position. But instead of taking Jokic to task for not being a pure bully inside as he was, Shaq lays the laurels on the Serb, understanding that the sophistication and diversity of Jokic’s game are things of beauty.
In the video below (third swipe) Shaq says directly to Jokic:
From one big guy to another I just want to say it’s a joy watching you play. You’re the epitome of what a great big man should look like, scoring, passing, being very unselfish. I love your game and I’m proud of you. Keep it up.
Shaquille O’Neal on Nikola Jokic
“Thank you,” Jokic replied. “It means a lot.” Just for comparison, you will not likely hear such a dialogue between O’Neal and Embiid.
