“Wish I Was Allowed to Do That”: Shaquille O’Neal Admits Being Jealous of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, and More

You’d often see Shaquille O’Neal compare himself with the modern NBA players when it is a conversation about impactful performances or being dominant. The Los Angeles Lakers legend would never miss a chance to take the spotlight and he does have an incredible resume to justify it. But wouldn’t you be surprised to know that a part of Shaq is jealous of the modern NBA players? The game has changed a lot in the last decade, and centers these days have added a skill to their bag, that players like Shaq can only dream of. 

Shaquille O’Neal who joined the Draymond Green Show, told the Golden State Warriors forward that he is jealous of superstars like Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, etc. When asked why, he said, “Wish I could step out and shoot the three brother. I call myself ‘Black Steph Curry’ because if I go to the gym and miss a 190 f****** threes and make one, I’m the ‘Black Steph Curry.”

The LA legend added on a serious note, “That s*** should fucking feel good to step out and shoot a f****** three bro…Every now and then I go out there and try to Klay Thompson myself…I’m jealous in them because I wish I was allowed to do that.” 

Shaq was so good inside the paint that coaches of the 90s and 2000s era wouldn’t even let him stand outside the three-point line. However, he has attempted a total of 22 threes in his career, out of which he has sunk only one. Although that’s a poor shooting percentage, Shaq believed he had the range to the shoot. 

Shaquille O’Neal revealed he had a three-point shooting range for which he practiced

Shaq might have been an influential center in the modern NBA too. The three-point shooting is a skill we all believe Shaq lacks. However, the 4x champion has practiced a lot during his days in the NBA. In his book Shaq Uncut, he explained how he had a range for shooting, which he considers to be unstoppable. 

Shaq stated in the above book, “The truth was I took jumpers in practice all the time. I had a three-point range. Ask my teammates. I drained them all the time. Coach Madura told me once if we ever needed a three-pointer at the end of the game he’d consider letting me take it because I could hit it and he knew no one would ever be able to block it.”

Now, Shaq regrets not using three-point shooting as a weapon during his career. However, in the book, he said, “It just didn’t make sense in games to take those kind of shots when I could just as easily slam the ball through.” Quite confusing, isn’t it? But that’s just Shaq! 

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato had to say about the marketing genius, watch this video: