“Nikola Jokic Is The Tim Duncan Of Our Time”: Shaquille O’Neal Boldly Compares The 2x MVPs

Tim Duncan is undoubtedly one of the 10 greatest players in the history of the NBA. Only a select few men have entered the league and immediately established themselves as one of the best defenders in the NBA. As he won Rookie of the Year honors in 1998, he would co-lead the San Antonio Spurs to a championship in merely his sophomore year. 

More so than anything, it was Duncan’s personality that jumped off the page for most. He was the perfect Spurs superstar archetype alongside Gregg Popovich. A quiet, mid-mannered man who dropped 23, 12, and blocked 3 shots on a regular basis with little to no trash-talking or ‘spicy’ media availability soundbites. 

Duncan treated the NBA like it was a regular ‘9-5’ job to a point of hilarity as he seemed to clock in, win his Spurs a game, and then clock. This is exactly the same kind of Nikola Jokic exuded in a recent interview, leading to Shaquille O’Neal giving him quite the compliment.

Also read: “Joker, O’Nealovich here!”: Nikola Jokic Screams at Shaquille O’Neal for Using Russian Instead of Serbian

Shaquille O’Neal compares Nikola Jokic to Tim Duncan 

Shaquille O’Neal never got a chance to play with Nikola Jokic but he sure as heck got a chance to play with Tim Duncan. Duncan’s Spurs clashed with his Lakers on a multitude of occasions, most famously in the 2003 WCSF where the Lakers lost in 6 to the Spurs and in the 2004 WCSF where the Lakers in 6 against them. 

So, when Shaq says that he believes Jokic is similar to Tim Duncan and is actually the Duncan of our time, you know what he’s talking about.

After ‘The Joker’ gave a sideline interview about how he’s starting to wear suits to games now as he needs to dress well for his job, O’Neal confidently claimed Jokic was Timmy but for this generation.

Are Nikola Jokic and Tim Duncan similar? 

There aren’t all too many similarities in their games when it comes to what they do in particular on the basketball court. However, the fact that they both rely heavily on the fundamentals of the game is where the similarities start to pour in. 

You won’t ever see Nikola do anything aside from his nifty jump-hooks, stand-still jumpers with a hand in his face, and the occasional post-up fadeaway. Duncan is similar in the sense that he had a jab step, pump-fake, and shot off the backboard, along with some solid footwork en route to a 23-point night. 

Essentially, when it comes to generating buckets for themselves, these two 2x MVPs are the definition of ‘if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it’.

Also read: “Slavic Lasagna!”: Shaquille O’Neal Ignorantly Forgets Nikola Jokic’s Nationality While Claiming He Would ‘Torture’ 2x MVP