Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic pulls a Shaquille O’Neal, cussing on live television but apologizes immediately.
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Luka Magic has finally broken the spell, advancing to the second round of the playoffs. Ironically, this is also the first time the Mavericks got past the first round since winning the chip in 2011. The Jazz had once again underperformed come playoff time.
After being held for the past back-to-back two years by the LA Clippers, Doncic can finally rejoice in this moment of glory for the Mavs.
Surprisingly, the Slovenian native didn’t play the first 3-games of the series due to a calf strain but had the likes of Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie take care of the matter.
Post getting over the hump, Doncic was beaming with excitement, waving bye-bye to the fans at the Salt Lake City. With emotions running high, the three-time All-Star would have a faux-pas moment on national television but apologized immediately for it.
NBA Reddit was quick to latch on to Doncic cussing on national tv, bringing up an old clip of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal committing the same mistake, the difference being the Diesel didn’t care.
Luka Doncic and Shaquille O’Neal’s embarrassing moments caught on national television.
Luka had 24-points, 8-rebounds, and 9-assists in the game-clinching win against the Jazz. The former ROTY shot 40% from the 3-point line and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line. While reflecting on his team’s performance, the Mavericks guard forgot he was on national television.
“I think our energy was low,” said Luka. “We picked it up in the second half. I think first half we were bullshi**ing around.”
However, Luka had the presence of mind and would apologize immediately for cussing.
“You’re not the first,” said the reporter, leading everyone on the internet only to find a clip of Shaquille O’Neal having a similar moment, the only difference being the Diesel had no remorse.
At the time, Shaq was playing for the LA Lakers and had just defeated the Toronto Raptors by one point. The Lakers MVP was frustrated with the officiating in the said game venting out his frustration in a post-game interview.
(Caution: The clip contains explicit language)
Well, in conclusion, it can be said Shaq was lucky social media wasn’t there during his time, considering how careful athletes of today have to be while speaking their minds.