“[Anthony Davis] Is Not a Big Man”: Shaquille O’Neal Doesn’t Include 6’10 Superstar in His Reputed Alliance

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks delivered a much-needed double OT thriller today, and it ended on a sweet note for the men in yellow. Despite having LeBron James on the sideline, the Lakers managed to clear a 19-point deficit in the 4th Q to grab a crucial win. This performance from the LA unit was fueled by Anthony Davis, who had 34 points and 23 rebounds, against the Greek Freak Giannis Antetokounmpo. Even though AD delivered such impressive numbers at the right time, Shaquille O’Neal is not willing to add him to his ‘Big Man Alliance’ list.

During the halftime of the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, the Big Diesel spoke high of Domantas Sabonis, who registered a near triple-double with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. And also looking at the 25 triple-doubles he has secured this season, Shaq decided to add him to the ‘Big Man Alliance’. However, when Candace Parker questioned, “AD?”, Shaq denied entry. 

The 4x champion said, “AD is not a big man. He is a power forward. Don’t do that. [Sabonis] is a center. Don’t do that”. Well, that’s quite a bold claim from Shaq, despite AD’s monstrous numbers as a center this season. Moreover, the ‘Brow’ had a game-saving play against the Bucks, which was not spoken about in the post-game analysis.

In the last possession of overtime 1, Damian Lillard was rejected right under the rim by Davis, which sent the game to double OT. In addition, he hit two clutch free throws in the end to seal the win. Coming back to Shaq’s bold take, Sabonis’s historic numbers this season might be the root cause for his confidence in him. 

Domantas Sabonis has been a threat for Anthony Davis all season

Sabonis has set the NBA record for the most consecutive double-doubles by an active player this season by surpassing Kevin Love. The former Gonzaga star has 55 consecutive double-doubles now, after the game against the Dallas Mavericks today. But the highlight is his head-to-head record against Davis over the years. AD has never defeated Sabonis in his 12-year career. In all the games against the Kings this season, Davis had an underwhelming performance, when compared with Sabonis. So, the 3x NBA All-Star is 10-0 against the 2020 NBA Champion. 

Read more: Domantas Sabonis for MVP? NBA Veteran Predicts Double-Double King’s Fate Against Nikola Jokic and More

This could be a reason why Shaq is not willing to put the Lakers star in the Big Man Alliance conversation. However, Davis has been better than Sabonis on the defensive end throughout the season. The 31-year-old Laker is averaging 2.4 blocks and 1.2 steals, while Sabonis is averaging 0.6 blocks and 0.9 steals. But at the same time, Davis has not been efficient on defense against Sabonis this year. Thus, there are notable differences between the two, and both have an upper hand in each case. Anyhow, Shaq does not want to put AD next to Sabonis any time soon. 

Read more: NBA Champion Warns Anthony Davis Against Kings’ Domantas Sabonis After Embarrassing Display