“I’ve Seen That Before”: Lakers Legend Left Unfazed By Mavericks’ Luka Doncic

The Dallas Mavericks notched up a crucial Game 4 victory against the Clippers. The brilliance of Luka Doncic once again shone brightly on the night. The 21-year-old is breaking records with ease and has already established himself a frequent triple-double scorer. Moreover, Luka’s game-winner against the Clippers sent everyone into a frenzy. But Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t seem to have been thunderstruck by the deep three-pointer from Luka. 

After the series-tying game, the Inside guys reflected on Luka’s game-winner and went crazy about it. While Ernie, Chuck, and Kenny all seemed to have loved how Doncic stepped up and hit the dagger, Shaq didn’t seem too excited about it. In fact, he wasn’t impressed with how his colleagues were admiring Luka Doncic. 

“I just said calm it down a notch,” Shaq replied when Charles Barkley questioned his lack of emotion. “He’s great but I’ve seen that before,” the Big Diesel said. While the rest of the crew mentioned the special talent that Luka has, Shaq simply said, “He nice, he can play.” 

Why isn’t Shaquille O’Neal impressed by the spectacular show put up by Luka Doncic? 

Is Shaq a difficult customer to impress? Luka Doncic just recorded a 40.0 point triple-double with a sore ankle. He guided the Mavs to victory, fighting back from a 20-point deficit against Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers. But what does O’Neal have to say about all this? His response will definitely surprise you!

“So you’re doing all the talking at a high level. Is he [Luka Doncic] the top guard?” Shaq asked. “James or him? Steph, James, or him?” Charles Barkley was left speechless and then Shaq further continued by saying, “Damian, add him in there.”

The studio observed a few seconds of silence due to Shaq’s sudden eruption. “That’s my point,” he mentioned. Kenny Smith wanted Shaq to embrace Doncic’s performance from last night and here’s how he responded.

“Listen, I’ve seen that before. His name is Steph Curry. I’ve seen that before. His name is James Harden. I’ve seen it all last week. His name is Damian Lillard. Just calm it down a little bit,” uttered Shaq. 

This really came out as a surprise to everyone, including Shaq’s own colleagues. Of course, Shaq did not disregard Luka’s performance in any way. However, he didn’t seem too excited about the amazing display too. Who knows? Maybe Luka needs to put up more impressive games in the NBA to convince Shaq.