“No, Not Him”: Shaquille O’Neal Rejects ‘Superman’ Moniker for One NBA Superstar in Favor of Another

The flip-flopping nature of Shaquille O’Neal has come back to the forefront. During his time in the league, and even after retirement, comparing a player to Shaq is a recipe for disaster. But the Superman moniker felt like a retired nickname. After all, the Los Angeles Lakers legend gave up the moniker for the 2021 Finals MVP. But, as it turns out, the 7-footer has had a change of heart.

With the Milwaukee Bucks all set for a Quarter-Final matchup against the New York Knicks, Kenny “The Jet” Smith provided his usual analysis. “On the Dame [Damian Lillard] thing, I think it’s the Kobe [Bryant] – Shaq effect, that Dame brings to Giannis [Antetokounmpo]…At the end of games, they said they’re gonna foul Shaq, who is not a great free throw shooter. So, they put the ball in Kobe’s hand and let him only finish.” 

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“They put it in Dame’s hands. Great foul shooter, then Middleton is a great foul shooter, and Lopez.” Throughout his train of thought, the big man had a wince on his face that Ernie Johnson was quick to point out. Kenny quickly explained, “Well, anytime he gets compared…”

However, at one point in time, O’Neal did give the Greek Freak his blessing to be the next Superman of the association. “But you actually said I can call Giannis Superman.” But as it turns out, the Miami Heat legend has had a change of opinion.

“Yes, you may…No, not him. Joker.” With 2 straight MVPs and a Finals MVP in the third year, Nikola Jokic has overtaken Giannis in a lot of people’s eyes as the best player in the league. It looks like Shaq is among them. But, there is one line the big man isn’t willing to cross yet.

Despite multiple accolades, Shaquille O’Neal keeps Nikola Jokic off one list

The 3-year stretch from the Denver Nuggets superstar has catapulted him into all-time conversations. During that stretch, the Serbian has jumped over all his current competition, even the Bucks superstar according to Shaq.

After crowning him a spot on the Big Man Alliance, the Shaq love fest for Nikola continues to ride high. However, he is not ready to crown Jokic as the greatest European player ever, yet. According to him, that historic honor is still in the hands of some older players. Name-dropping guys like Arvydas Sabonis and Hakeem Olajuwon, he said they take the cake for that particular title.

However, with the trajectory the Joker is on, seeing him at the top of the list feels more like an inevitability than an outlier. Do you think he can catch up with the all-time greats? Let us know in the comments below.

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