6 Months After Calling Nikola Jokic ‘Slavic Lasagna’, Shaquille O’Neal Declares 2023 Finals MVP as the ‘Best Player in the NBA’

Tonoy Sengupta | 18/06/2023
6 Months After Calling Nikola Jokic 'Slavic Lasagna', Shaquille O'Neal Declares 2023 Finals MVP as 'Best Player in the NBA'

Shaquille O’Neal’s relationship with Nikola Jokic couldn’t possibly be more complicated. Just 6 months ago, the Big Diesel was famously calling the man Russian. He even called him ‘Slavic Lasagna’ on one occasion. And now, following the Nuggets’ amazing victory in the NBA Finals, the Diesel just can’t stop singing the Joker’s praises. Clearly, his stance on the Serbian has softened after the two-time MVP managed to pass the ultimate test, winning an NBA title. Shaq’s train of thought in his recent Instagram story clearly shows it.

Before the 2023 NBA playoffs started, both Shaq and Charles Barkley were a bit iffy on Jokic. They declared that, to prove himself, the bare minimum he and the Nuggets needed to achieve was an NBA Finals appearance. Of course, Jokic blew those expectations out of the water, winning the championship while making it look like child’s play.

Shaquille O’Neal hypes up Nikola Jokic on Instagram

As is widely known, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t just appear on Inside the NBA and in TV commercials. No, he also runs a podcast called ‘The Big Podcast’. And during an episode after Game 1 of the NBA Finals, Shaq deemed Nikola Jokic, in no uncertain terms, the best center in the NBA. He also added that the Nuggets superstar’s game exemplifies how the modern center should play.

This little excerpt of his was highlighted in a recent Instagram video, which declared Jokic ‘the best player in the NBA’. And as if he hadn’t made himself clear already, Shaq decided to share it on his story once he found it. Take a look at the post in question by Rim Report below, as well as the NBA Celebs Update’s tweet of O’Neal’s IG story.

 

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A post shared by The Rim Report (@therimreport247)

To be fair to Shaq, Jokic does deserve all the praise in the world, especially after being brutally criticized throughout the regular season for the smallest of things. However, while Shaq has been happy to give the center some love, it appears that the 2023 Finals MVP isn’t quite in the mood to do that just yet.

Jokic has taken some digs at O’Neal too

Shaquille O’Neal proudly holds the tag of the most dominant player of all time, and for good reason. During his time in the NBA, the Lakers legend had absolutely no problem manhandling every other big burly man in the NBA. And yet, Nikola Jokic does not seem to care.

During an interview, Jokic had no hesitation in saying that Shaq could not guard him. He even decided to troll the legend on a separate occasion, saying that he patterned his game after the most dominant player ever.

Post Edited By: Satagni Sikder
NBA Nikola Jokic Shaquille O'Neal

About the author

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta

Tonoy Sengupta is a Senior Editor at The SportsRush. Coming from an athletically inclined family, he has been surrounded by sports ever since he was 4 years old. But, while initially pouring all his time into Football (soccer), at 14, Tonoy discovered basketball through the countless highlights of Stephen Curry humiliating players from Curry Land. And just like that, a fiery passion for the game was ignited within Tonoy. And soon after, he decided to become a student of journalism, graduating in 2022, and choosing sports as his area of interest. Today, you can find him spending 99% of his time browsing through every type of content on every team in the NBA, before uncorking everything he has found to the world. In the 1% he isn't doing this, you can find him playing Basketball, Football, Volleyball, or practically any other sport he has had the opportunity to learn.

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