Back in January, Shaquille O’Neal was flamed for messing up Serbian while speaking with Nikola Jokic. The same now happens with Luka Doncic.
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Picking up a Slavic language is hard enough as it is. A lot of these languages have different accents and vocabularies, so learning them is even tougher as a result.
People from Eastern and South-Eastern Europe have very similar names, but quite different languages in that region. Practicing their language on Duolingo or just gallivanting as tourists there doesn’t help you become fluent with their words.
So it’s not a surprise that Shaquille O’Neal has messed up these languages in his juvenile attempts. Shaq is the type of guy to attempt things without concern for how much he’d be ridiculed for it.
This adds a fun element to his presence on Inside the NBA. While some people may consider his callous attitude towards other cultures as problematic, we always know that he’s coming from a good place while engaging in such antics.
Shaquille O’Neal messes up his Slovenian goodbye greeting to Luka Doncic
The Mavericks won the first game of their 2 straight against the Los Angeles Lakers last night. Anthony Davis staged his return after 10 weeks off. AD looked rusty while taking shots, but he had the fitness, endurance and athleticism that we’re used to him displaying.
Nevertheless, the Lakers lost the game after the Mavs created some separation in the 4th quarter. The Mavs had built up a healthy first-half lead, but the Lakers came storming back to make a game of it in the 3rd.
Overall, it was a typical 3rd-season performance from Luka, whose MVP candidature gains strength by the day. Doncic had 30 points, 8 assists and 9 rebounds on the night, including some crucial plays in the 4th. He was chosen to answer the Inside crew’s questions on TNT after the game as a result.
Waiting for the day @shaq pronounces anything correct in Slovenian during a @luka7doncic interview 💀 pic.twitter.com/pO1TyKl7BF
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) April 23, 2021
As a parting note, O’Neal decided to address Luka in his Slovenian language. But instead of saying ‘Adee-ho’, he bade goodbye to the Slovenian by pronouncing it ‘Adi-zho’. It was laughed off by the rest of the internet as another of Shaq’s failed attempts at speaking other languages.