“Up There With Kobe (Bryant)”: Shaquille O’Neal Gives Luka Doncic an Ultimate Honor After Impressive First Half vs. Nets

There are a few myths in the NBA that just ring true. And players going off while mearing protective masks is just one part of that lore. When Luka Doncic got on the floor today against the Brooklyn Nets in a new avatar, fans already figured that he was going to have a heck of a game. The Dallas Mavericks superstar was wearing a mask in the warm-up and also later in the game. 

As predicted, he secured 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in just the first half against the Nets. This all-around performance from the Slovenian guard pushed Shaquille O’Neal to put him in the same conversation as Kobe Bryant. Shaq, conveying great praise for Doncic, shared on TNT, “Luka will one day go down as one of the greatest. If he is consistent, he will be better…He can score whenever he wants to…You cannot stop him…He is a bad boy.”

Then came the comparisons. The 4x NBA champion added, “I agree with Jason Kidd a little bit. He is up there with Dirk (Nowitzki), he is up there with Kobe (Bryant)…but not greater than.” Previously, head coach Jason Kidd shared in an interview that Luka Doncic should be put in the same conversation as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and the greats.

Kidd also voiced that Doncic is better than Mavs legend Dirk Nowitzki, which, however, triggered a few other hosts on TNT. But Shaq seems to agree with the head coach.

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Luka Doncic proves why he deserves to be in the same conversation as Kobe Bryant

Now we come to the second half and the results are still the same. Doncic finished the game against the Nets with 35 points, 18 rebound and 9 assists, showing again why he is one of the greatest active players.

The Slovenian star is averaging 34.5 points per game, that too with an incredible efficiency of near 50%, which is the best record in the NBA this season. But still, Shaq’s TNT colleague Jamal Crawford does not want to compare the Slovenian with Michael Jordan. Not just Doncic, but any other superstar in the league right now, except LeBron James.

Shaquille O’Neal also agreed with Crawford, which was pretty surprising. He credits Luka Doncic for doing all this at just the age of 24, but he wants to wait for some more time. ‘The Big Aristotle’ wants to see a consistency and he will put the Mavericks guard with MJ, after 8-10 years maybe. Do you agree with these takes from Jamal Crawford and Shaquille O’Neal? Share your take in the comments below.

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