“In The Atmosphere Of Michael Jordan”: Shaquille O’Neal Vouches For Luka Doncic Being Compared To NBA Greats By Jason Kidd

Luka Doncic has been on a tear in the past few weeks. Amid a massive increase in his production, Jason Kidd showered Luka with lofty praise after the Dallas Mavericks-Orlando Magic clash. Shaquille O’Neal, by resharing a post on his Instagram Story, seemed to be in agreeance with Kidd.

Luka Doncic led the Dallas Mavericks to claw back from a 16-point deficit and defeat the Orlando Magic. The Slovenian superstar put up a staggering 45-point, 9-rebound, 15-assist near triple-double as the Texas side clinched a 131-129 win.

Like many other enthusiasts and analysts, Jason Kidd was also in awe of the 6ft 7” guard’s performance. During the postgame conference, the Mavs head coach lauded Doncic, making some bold claims about him being better than Dirk Nowitzki. Further, Kidd also stated that the European sensation was in the same stratosphere as some of the game’s greatest – Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant.

“He’s [Doncic] better than Dirk. He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron, Kobe,” Jason Kidd exclaimed.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by ESPN (@espn)

The 50-year-old’s comments went viral on social media. A huge group of fans disagreed with Kidd. However, Shaquille O’Neal is among the group of supporters who agreed to the statements. By resharing ESPN’s post on his Instagram Story, Shaq displayed his admiration for Doncic.

Luka gets love from Shaq pic.twitter.com/COgelnVOhE

— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) January 31, 2024

Luka does deserve a lot of praise for his recent performance. In the month of January, Doncic shifted gears and proceeded to go on a scoring rampage. In the 10 games that he suited up this month, the five-time All-Star has recorded 37.1 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 10.4 assists. Among the numerous scoring outbursts we’ve witnessed from Luka this month, the historic 73-point outing has been his best production of all.

Shaquille O’Neal chose Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic has managed to impress several analysts since joining the league in 2018. Shaquille O’Neal is merely one of the many who has been a huge fan of the Dallas side’s leader. On numerous occasions, the Big Aristotle has even expressed his love for the 24-year-old. However, a few weeks earlier, O’Neal dished out a shocking take when he picked Shai Gilgeous-Alexander over Luka Doncic.

“I’m gonna have to take [SGA],” O’Neal said. “Luka is a fabulous player, but this kid? He plays the right way [and] gets his teammates involved. … I’m taking him right now. He’s a hell of a player right now.”

Shai is having a terrific season and has managed to lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to a top 3 seed in the stacked Western Conference. However, in terms of individual performance, Luka is averaging more points, rebounds, and assists.

Nevertheless, both the Western Conference guards are having memorable campaigns. While the two will be starting the All-Star Game, there is also a huge possibility that they feature on the All-NBA 1^st Team at the conclusion of the regular season.