What seemed to build up to be a redemption campaign for Team USA ended with a shock at the 2023 FIBA World Cup Semifinals. To make matters worse, Steve Kerr’s boys also suffered a third-place loss against Canada. On the other hand, Dennis Schroder played some of the best basketball of his career and led Germany. Shaquille O’Neal was among the many who seemed to be impressed by the German captain. The TNT analyst’s social media activities display that he believes that Team USA will need an even more star-studded squad to upset the European nation in order to succeed at the international level.
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Shaquille O’Neal was born in New Jersey and grew up in Texas but also spent some of his childhood in Germany. With his step-father, Sergeant Philip A. Harrison, stationed there, Shaq has countless memories from his teenage years in Europe. However, one of his more forgettable experiences involved his friends unfortunately passing away. Refusing to sit in a car after drinking with his friends, O’Neal made one of the most fruitful decisions of his life as he avoided a potentially fatal accident.
Shaquille O’Neal praises Dennis Schroder and Germany
Dennis Schroder was crowned the Most Valuable Player of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Over the course of the three weeks the tournament lasted, the 6ft 1” star lodged 19.1 points and 6.1 assists per game. Schroder’s worst performance of the campaign came against Latvia in the Quarterfinals, where he recorded just 9 points, 4 turnovers, and 4/26 from the field. However, the 29-year-old soon redeemed himself with a 17 points and 9 assists night in the Semifinal clash against the USA. He followed that up with a 28/2/2 outing in the Finals against Serbia.
The NBA veteran received praise from the entire basketball world. Shaquille O’Neal, who has also thrived at international basketball, posted a graphic congratulating Schroder for winning the MVP honors. The caption read “USA needs every superstar in existence to beat Dennis Schroder…”, giving credit to the Point Guard for an incredible eight-game run.
Everyone expected Anthony Edwards and co. to clinch the gold medal at Manila. However, the team has been receiving backlash since they were upset by Germany. Shaq even used a reference from Martin Lawrence’s 1990s sitcom – Dam Gina – to mock them.
Shaq has a flawless record when representing his nation
Shaquille O’Neal was a dominant beast during his stint in the NBA. The 7-footer was equally commanding when playing for Team USA. Unlike the majority of American superstars, Shaq has not participated in several international tournaments. The big man only laced up for his nation twice – 1994 FIBA World Championships & 1996 Olympics.
the Big Aristotle recorded a staggering 18 points and 8.5 rebounds when leading his country to their third World Championship. Whereas, O’Neal had a smaller role during the 1996 Olympics – averaging 9.2 points and 5.2 rebounds. With a 16-0 record in international basketball, Shaq never suited up for his nation after the gold medal triumph in Atlanta.
