“Joker, O’Nealovich here!”: Nikola Jokic Screams at Shaquille O’Neal for Using Russian Instead of Serbian

Advait Jajodia | 21/12/2022
“Joker, O'Nealovich here!”: Nikola Jokic Screams at Shaquille O'Neal for Using Russian Instead of Serbian

There is no doubt about it. Leading the Denver Nuggets to the best record in the Western Conference, Nikola Jokic has been on a tear.

Coming off the second of his back-to-back MVP campaigns, the Joker was not listed as one of the favorites to win the prestigious honor for the 3rd time. Clearly, the Serbian big man has taken note of that and is set to prove the bettors wrong.

Also Read: ‘Usually Unfashionable,’ $30 million worth Nikola Jokic Explains the Reason Behind his Stylish Pregame Fit

After Mike Malone’s boys grabbed 3 straight losses early in December, the Colorado-based franchise managed to win 5 out of their next 6 clashes. And Nikola’s huge performances were what propelled the squad to do so.

In that 6-game span, the 6-foot-11 center went on to record 30.8 points, 14.5 rebounds, and 10.3 assists per game.

“Love Nikola Jokic and how he plays”: Shaquille O’Neal

Over the past few weeks, the 4-time All-Star has been receiving praise from numerous basketball enthusiasts and pundits from around the world.

Shaquille O’Neal was one of many who has been going gaga over Nikola’s latest form. After the 27-year-old recorded a 13/13/13 triple-double against the Grizzlies, Shaq dished out some huge compliments for the Nuggets leader.

The former Lakers legend called Jokic ‘the Tim Duncan of big men’. The HOFer further said:

“Kenny and Chuck, I hope you agree with me. He is the Tim Duncan of big men… The way he dominates the game, he’s not flashy, love this kid and how he plays.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=216&v=AyV0Ev_5hZg&feature=emb_title&ab_channel=NBAonTNT

Now, O’Neal has not only confused Chuck and Ernie but has also left the entire social media befuddled. Jokic and Duncan both are 6-foot-11. Hence, Diesel’s comments don’t really make a lot of sense.

“Joker, O’Nealovich here!”: Shaq speaks to Jokic in Russian instead of Serbian

Before lauding the 4-time All-NBA player, the Big Aristotle tried to impress Jokic by speaking in Russian.

Now, we don’t exactly know whether Shaq was correct or not. However, there was one small mistake on his end. O’Neal didn’t consider the fact that Nikola wasn’t Russian.

Trolling the legend, the Denver leader went on to jokingly scream at the 7-footer.

Here, have a look at the exchange.

Clearly, Nikola was furious and who wouldn’t be? But, of course, being the nice guy, Jokic was just infuriated and he let out a big smile after. We hope he keeps that smile up and continues to school his opponents.

Also Read: Shaquille O’Neal Ignorantly Forgets Nikola Jokic’s Nationality While Claiming He Would ‘Torture’ 2x MVP

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam
Nikola Jokic Shaquille O'Neal

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Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over four years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,700+ articles.

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