From 2019 to 2021, Giannis Antetokounmpo won two league MVP titles and then led his team to the NBA Championship. Since then, there hasn’t been a huge amount of success, particularly in the last two seasons, where they got knocked out in the first round. Recently, even Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t high on Bucks winning any championship this season. The end of the season will determine if the 29-year-old wins another ring. But before that, he has the chance to take over Shaq in one record.

Despite a close 6-point loss against the Celtics, The Greek Freak was the highest scorer and rebounder of the night. With his 43 points and 13 rebounds, he also became the 8th player in NBA history to have the 40th 40+ point and 10+ rebound game. The top of the list is Wilt Chamberlain (271), followed by Elgin Baylor (81), Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (65), Bob McAdoo (55), Bob Pettit (45), and Joel Embiid and Shaquille O’Neal both with 43 games.

The Bucks star needs 4 games to take over the Lakers legend Shaq and his Eastern Conference rival Embiid. Plus, Giannis totals his 20th career game of 40+ points, 10+ rebounds and 5+ assists on 60% + shooting, joining Wilt Chamberlain (22) as the only player with as many such games. It’s not the first time, the 2x MVP has been clinical in his scoring. Last season, he became the first player in NBA history to average at least 30 points while shooting 60% from the field.

Despite him firing on all cylinders, the Bucks season has been difficult to watch with a 2-8 record. They are currently only the second team in the league to play 10 games and not win three games. So, will Shaq’s prediction about Giannis Antetokounmpo missing out ring this year come true?

Why Shaquille O’Neal hesitates about ‘The Greek Freak’ winning another ring this year

It’s been a full season now of Damian Lillard pairing up with Giannis so the Bucks fans were hopeful that this year would lead to better chemistry and a better run in the postseason. But the Lakers legend said that despite the 2021 Finals MVP being injured, and missing the first-round game against the Pacers, his chances of winning are slim.

“He’s (Giannis) very upset and what I mean by that Boston had the easiest run to a championship ever. So I know he’s upset about that,” said the 52-year-old. During the live show of his Big Podcast in LSU, Shaquille O’Neal answered a fan question. “However, Joel’s upset about that also so he has a chance this year if he’s healthy. To answer your question, yes, I think he’s (Giannis) going to get another ring but I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t do it this year.”

The Eastern Conference already had favorites in the Boston Celtics. But the recent 11-0 run by Cleveland makes them just the 12th NBA team to go on a hot start. So Shaquille O’Neal’s prediction about Giannis Antetokounmpo not winning a ring could come true. But the Bucks star would be itching to perform at the levels to inspire his team. In that process, he might take over the Lakers legend’s 40+ points and 10+ rebounds stat line record.