Nikola Jokic and Shaquille O’Neal are two of the most skilled players ever to play center. So 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 with his crazy stat lines and creativity. But who would win a one-on-one game between Jokic and Shaq?
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It’s a great question, given that the two are considered the best big men of their respective eras. 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: O’Neal.
“One-on-one, Shaq is going to win,” Porter stated on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast. “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.”
Porter Jr. presented a strong case for Shaq, though his pick itself was surprising. Porter got to witness Jokic’s greatness firsthand for several reasons. He won a championship alongside the Serbian at the Nuggets, received countless passes on the money that he turned into assists for the Joker.
However, Porter Jr. holds Shaq higher and with valid reasons. 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.”
The basketball world had never seen anything like Shaq when he entered the NBA. Needless to say, 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.
Jokic is 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 if we are talking about O’Neal in his prime years.
