“Luka Doncic Did a Fake Pass With a Hand That Didn’t Have the Ball”: Shaquille O’Neal Profuses Appreciation for ‘Gracious Host’

Shaquille O’Neal recently showed some love for Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic. Big Diesel shared a story on Instagram, showcasing one of Luka’s incredible plays, and one of them was a fake pass. A nice little homage to the Slovenian international, who actually hosted Shaq during his visit to Croatia. A visit that as revealed to Marca saw Doncic put O’Neal up in a palatial four-bedroom villa at Malinksa.

Doncic is undoubtedly one of the most talented players in the NBA. Selected in the 2017 NBA Draft, Luka, fondly referred to as “El Matador” has taken the league by storm. Considered by many to be one of the future faces of the NBA, Doncic is a superb player. And, it’s no surprise that Shaq has acknowledged the same.

Shaquille O’Neal shares IG story of incredible Luka Doncic skill a year after visiting him in Croatia

In July last year, Hall of Fame Shaquille O’Neal paid a visit to Malinska, Croatia. While there, Shaq met up with Luka Doncic and Goran Dragic. Considering Croatia borders Slovenia, it wasn’t that surprising to see the two ballers there.

At the time, The Big Aristotle had booked a hotel. However, Doncic was having none of it. As Shaq described on a podcast appearance, the Dallas Mavericks star made him feel right at home. Not only, did he assure him that nothing would happen to him in “his town”, but he also put Shaq up in a mansion. A four-bedroom villa on the water, having pizza, fruit, and a hookah.

It was an incredible gesture from Luka, who played a great host to “Mr. O’Nealovich”. And now, a year removed from his visit, the four-time NBA Champion has returned the favor in his own way, hyping up Luka Magic’s incredible skills on Instagram. In particular, an interesting fake pass he threw without the ball in his hand against the Portland Trailblazers, before throwing down a mean slam.

“When I arrived at Luka’s town, some people picked me up. They drove me to a mansion that Luka had set up for me. I had the pizza there. I had the hookah, I had the fruit. They escorted me to the show and then Luka said, ‘Shaq, nothing’s gonna happen to you in my town, Mr. O’Nealovich’. That’s what they call me over there. Shoutout to Luka and Goran Dragic for setting it up for me. I got there and Luka said ‘We know you’re staying in a hotel but we want you to stay someplace else’. It was right there on the water, a four-bedroom villa.”

Doncic truly is a triple-threat superstar. A player who is a great finisher, shooter, and playmaker all rolled into one. An incredible talent who has all the skills he needs to join Shaq in the Hall of Fame.

Shaq appreciates Luka Doncic and his greatness

Shaquille O’Neal has always been a fan of Luka Doncic. He is well aware of just how amazing a player he is and has time and time again reminded fans of the same. He truly appreciates his greatness, especially as the leader of a team that relies on him so much. From creating for others to creating for himself, Shaq loves how Luka does it all.

“Me and Chuck are talking about this all the time. The tremendous amount of pressure on this kid. He has to create for others, he has to create for others, create for himself, and he has to make all the plays for this team to do well.”

Luka is one of the best in today’s NBA. And, if he continues to live up to the greatness he sees in him, he will definitely go down as one of the best to ever step onto an NBA court.