“Devin Booker gonna win 60+ games averaging 26-6 and won’t even get consideration”: Shaquille O’Neal is disgruntled about Suns guard’s short shrift for MVP, points to Steve Nash’s 05′ win

Shaquille O’Neal brings up Steve Nash’s 2004-05 MVP award again, believes Devin Booker is having a much better season but is getting overlooked like Shaq himself.

Shaquille O’Neal somehow manages to make his point across the board, one way or another. Leaving great achievements and the debate around it for fans is not Shaq’s cup of tea. He could never let things fly when it comes down to his own legacy.

He’d always debate and most probably win any argument he indulges in, either fairly or by his dominating voice and personality. And one of his favorite subjects is Steve Nash’s 2004-05 MVP.

Also read: “How the hell can Kobe Bryant only get 1 MVP during his career”: A reminder of the flawed MVP voting system and how it will rob Giannis Antetokounmpo

O’Neal believes the former Suns’ guard stole the yearly honor from him that year and has even hilariously addressed it to Nash’s face when he became Nets’ head coach a couple of years ago. “Can you show me one of the MVP trophies you stole from me?” asked Shaq, to which Nash responded with, “You can’t make a free throw down the stretch.”

And now The Diesel advocates the case of a Suns guard who does not go by the name Steve Nash, but obviously, he cited the case of Steve.

Shaquille O’Neal makes case for Devin Booker winning the MVP this season citing Nash’s 05’ MVP

Shaq averaged 22.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game in 2004-05 while being a massive force on the defense. Steve Nash, on the other hand, posted 15.5 points and 11.5 assists per game while contributing almost nothing defensively. Both of them led their teams to each conference’s top seed.

Similar to how he got robbed of the award, the 3-time Finals MVP believes the Suns’ current guard Devin Booker is also going through the same having a much better season than what Steve had with the Suns.

Shaq: “Steve Nash won MVP winning 60+ games averaging 16 and 11. Book gonna win 60+ averaging 26 and 6 and won’t even get consideration.”

(via @FadeawayWorld)https://t.co/UJdthMMnWH

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) March 28, 2022

There can be slight to no argument to that as Book who is generally overlooked for his defensive capabilities has shone tremendously this season on that end. He is the highest-rated defensive 2-guard in the league.

All things considered, if not an undisputed front-runner, D-Book should at least have been in the top-5 throughout the season, having led the Suns to be the best team in the West for so long.

Also read: “Did Shaq really have the most disrespectful dunk of all time?”: How the Lakers legend humiliated Chris Dudley with an emphatic poster 23 years ago

About the author

Akash Murty

An Electrical and Electronics Engineer by degree, Akash Murty is an NBA Editor at The SportsRush. Previously a Software Engineer, Murty couldn’t keep himself away from sports, and his knack for writing and putting his opinion forward brought him to the TSR. A big Soccer enthusiast, his interest in basketball developed late, as he got access to a hoop for the first time at 17. Following this, he started watching basketball at the 2012 Olympics, which transitioned to NBA, and he became a fan of the game as he watched LeBron James dominate the league. Him being an avid learner of the game and ritually following the league for around a decade, he now writes articles ranging from throwbacks, and live game reports, to gossip. LA Lakers are his favourite basketball team, while Chelsea has his heart in football. He also likes travelling, reading fiction, and sometimes cooking.

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