Boy, did Shaquille O’Neal jump ship at the perfect time. As most fans know, the recent Lakers vs. Mavericks showdown was must-watch TV. Why? Because it was Luka Dončić’s first game against his former squad since joining LA. Initially, Shaq was all in on Dallas, picking them as his favorites to win. But then? He switched up, giving a contradictory take right before tip-off.

And guess what? Luka and the Lakers made sure The Big Diesel didn’t regret it.

“I’mma have to go with Dallas [winning tonight],” Shaq confidently declared on the Halftime Report, betting on the Mavs to pull off the win. His reasoning? With key players missing, Dallas had nothing to lose—which, in his mind, made them dangerous.

Well… they lost anyway. The Lakers handled business, locking in a 107-99 victory over Dallas.

Luckily for Shaq, he had already jumped ship—not necessarily riding with LA, but putting his trust in Luka Doncic. And this time? Luka didn’t let him down.

During a discussion on TNT, Shaq was asked how he would have handled the situation if he were in Doncic’s shoes. And in true Diesel fashion, he didn’t hold back.

“To trade a man without his knowledge when he thought he was going to be like a Dirk Nowitzki, the face of the team, that’s not really good business. So I would have given him some vulgar and choice words, and then I would have at least gone for 50, and then, you know, we move on from there.”

That’s already a fiery take, but Shaq wasn’t done. Before anyone could even jump in, he went right back at it, throwing serious shade at key Mavericks figures.

“I’m not talking to nobody on that franchise because Jason Kidd, you knew, Mark Cuban, you knew, Dirk Nowitzki, you knew,” O’Neal declared, imagining himself in Doncic’s shoes. “I’m not talking to nobody in Dallas… I’ve gotta use that to fuel my anger.” And Doncic did exactly that despite the fact that he plummeted to some extent in the scoring department.

Luka Doncic ‘s first triple-double for Lakers brings major trouble for Dallas

All eyes were locked on the Slovenian superstar Tuesday night at Crypto.com Arena, waiting to see how he’d handle facing the franchise that just shipped him away.

And Lakers fans? Oh, they made sure to rub it in. Every time Doncic stepped to the free-throw line, chants of “Thank you, Nico!” echoed through the arena—a loud shoutout to Mavericks GM Nico Harrison, the man responsible for sending Doncic to L.A. just over three weeks ago.

Shooting-wise, it wasn’t Doncic’s best night. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned about him, it’s that he finds other ways to make an impact. Despite his struggles from the field, he controlled the game with his playmaking, leading the Lakers (35-21) to a 107-99 win over the Mavericks (31-28).

Luka Doncic didn’t just show up—he stuffed the stat sheet. 19 points, 15 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks.

That’s elite. It marked his 81st career triple-double—but this one hit differently. It was his first in a jersey other than a Mavs uniform. And let’s be real, that had to sting for Dallas fans watching him dominate against them.

Even with Dallas defending him aggressively, Doncic found ways to contribute. His final assist? A clutch dish to LeBron James for a layup with 32 seconds left, sealing the Lakers’ third straight win. Thus saving Shaq from the regret of choosing Luka Doncic over Mavericks.