Nikola Jokic and Shaquille O’Neal both make great cases for being among the most skilled players ever to play center. It’s why the two are compared so often. One was a physically dominant force who imposed his will on opposing teams, while the other continues to dazzle audiences with his crazy stat lines and creativity. But who would win in a one-on-one game between Jokic and Shaq?
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It’s a great question, given that the two can be considered the best big men of their respective eras in basketball. And although comparing eras is difficult, it’s easy to imagine the two going up against each other in a pickup game.
According to Michael Porter Jr., a former teammate of Jokic, this fantasy matchup would have only one winner. And it’s not the one most people would expect.
“One on one, Shaq is going to win,” Porter stated on 7PM in Brooklyn. “He’s going to dunk the ball every single time. Nikola, even though he can shoot threes and stuff, he’s going to eventually miss. And then Shaq is going to get it back and dunk the ball again.”
It was a strong argument, but surprising nonetheless. Porter was a guy who got to witness Jokic’s greatness firsthand for several reasons. He won a championship with the Serbian at the Nuggets, received countless passes on the money that he turned into assists for the Joker
However, when it comes to Shaq, Porter Jr. holds him higher. That’s why Carmelo Anthony, the host of the podcast, saw no issues with the response.
“Shaq is Shaq,” Carmelo bluntly said. “We haven’t seen nothing like Shaq.”
Not only had we never seen anything like Shaq when he entered the NBA, but we also haven’t seen anything like him since. It’s rare to find a center with the combination of athleticism and skill that O’Neal possessed. He knew exactly how strong he was and relentlessly attacked opposing big men.
That’s most likely what would happen if Jokic and Shaq ever played one-on-one. As Porter said, Jokic would hit a few shots, but once he missed, he wouldn’t get the ball back. Shaq would keep going at him, and there wouldn’t be much Jokic could do to stop it.
So, apologies, Denver Nuggets fans, but this is an easy open-and-shut case. As good as Jokic is, Shaq was even better when it came to post-up isolation. The former is actually much better at operating out of the post with the threat of his passing. But if there were no one to pass to, Jokic might be dead meat for the most part.
That doesn’t mean Jokic wouldn’t hit a few “Sombor Shuffle” shots or make it a close contest. But in the end, he would likely get overpowered by Shaq’s sheer strength, especially during O’Neal’s prime years.
