Shaquille O’Neal always makes sure to give other athletes their flowers when it’s due. At the same time, he is also very stingy when it comes to conversations about big men in the league. As arguably the most dominant center ever, Shaq holds the big men discussions very close to his heart. But even for a purist like him, Nikola Jokic is miles ahead of other big men in the discussion of the NBA’s best center.
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While doing the Halftime Report for the Denver Nuggets-Philadelphia 76ers game, Shaq bestowed the “best big man” honor on the Joker.
He said, “Joker no matter what happens is the best big man in the league by far. Period. Nobody else in the conversation.”
Shaq has given major props to Jokic over the last few years. The Serbian has been on a dominant run in the league since 2020, becoming the NBA Champion and winning three MVP titles in the last four years. And the four-time NBA Champion has been in awe of his game.
Shaq: "Joker no matter what happens is the best big man in the league by far. Period. Nobody else in the conversation." pic.twitter.com/ZlwQbNtJ5u
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) January 22, 2025
The Joker was leading the MVP race this season as well until Shai Gilgeous-Alexander dethroned him recently. Apart from the Denver superstar, Joel Embiid was also in the “best big man” conversation for a while. But due to a string of injuries and failure to provide results for his team, he has been taken out of that equation.
Shaq’s opinion on the big men conversation holds a lot of value. So, him praising the Joker and putting him above everyone else in the league must mean a lot to the Nuggets star.
On an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the big fella was asked to name the four greatest big men ever, excluding himself.
Shaq said, “You’ve got to go with Mr. (Bill) Russell, for championships. You got to go with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. You gotta go with Hakeem Olajuwon because I couldn’t stop that motherf****er. And you gotta go with the other most dominant player ever, Wilt Chamberlain.”
That’s arguably the most valid pick for the greatest big men of all time, excluding Shaq. If the Joker continues to dominate the league and adds a couple of more titles to his resume, it will be interesting to see if that will make Shaq reconsider his Mt. Rushmore.
