“Don’t disrespect Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Champions!”: Shaquille O’Neal shuts down Stephen A. Smith while defending the ‘new Superman’

Lakers’ legend Shaquille O’Neal backs Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks as the ultimate threat in the East for the Nets

The Milwaukee Bucks took the basketball world by storm when they took down the superteam of the year, the Brooklyn Nets. After the win in the Conference Semi-Finals, the sky was the limit for the Bucks, and they went for it. They beat the Atlanta Hawks to move on to the NBA Finals, where they eventually took down the Phoenix Suns.

Giannis Antetokounmpo was the miracle man for the Bucks. The 26-year-old led the team from the front and won the Finals MVP honors along the way. Shaquille O’Neal, impressed by his performance, relinquished the ‘Superman’ title to Giannis.

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Shaquille O’Neal backs Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks against the Nets

Shaquille O’Neal was recently on the First Take, with Stephen A Smith. There they discussed the Bulls and the Knicks, the ‘old Lakers’, and a lot more. While talking about the Nets, Stephen A asked Shaq whether he thinks any team can stand in the way of the Nets taking the East.

Shaq rose to Giannis and the Bucks’ defense. He said,

“Let me tell you something, don’t disrespect the champions because all these teams got big-name players. Give the champions their due respect. He (Giannis Antetokounmpo) did it the right way; he did it the respectful way, I’m going to give that man all the respect till they beat him. The new Superman is going to be a problem in the east. Period. I said it.”

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There were a lot of new moves made by both the Brooklyn Nets and the Los Angeles Lakers. The Kevin Durant-led Nets got Patty Mills and more pieces. However, Shaq believes the reigning champions are more than enough to give the Nets a tough time.

With the season a little over a month away, all we can do is wait and see how things turn out in the coming times. Till then, it would be right to give the defending champions their due respect and not rule them out instantly.