The TNT Tuesday crew couldn’t help but react to all the incredible individual performances on Monday night. Joel Embiid was one of the players who had a historic outing. Reacting to Embiid’s 70-point outburst, Shaquille O’Neal was still not ready to add the Philadelphia 76ers leader to the “Big Man Alliance”. However, Shaq did reveal two ways that JoJo could make himself a part of the prestigious group.
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Once Nikola Jokic won the 2023 NBA championship, Shaquille O’Neal added him to the “Big Man Alliance” – a group that consists of distinguished centers in league history. However, the Big Aristotle didn’t believe that Joel Embiid deserved to be part of the group just yet.
After Embiid’s 70-point game, Shaq mentioned two ways the reigning MVP could add himself to the elite company. Either win a championship or have an illustrious career with incredible stats like Patrick Ewings’.
The Los Angeles Lakers legend seems reasonable with his demands. Winning the championship will certainly solidify Embiid’s legacy. However, even if the big man is unable to get his hands on the coveted Larry O’Brien trophy, he would’ve had a distinguished enough career to be a part of this ‘Big Man Alliance.’ Joel hasn’t even turned 30 yet and has racked up a stacked resume already – an MVP, two scoring titles, six All-Stars, and five All-NBA selections. There is no doubt that the 7-footer will go down as one of the best big men to ever do it.
Shaquille O’Neal praises Joel Embiid frequently
Shaquille O’Neal is extremely critical of Joel Embiid’s lackluster performance in the postseason. At times, the TNT analyst has even attacked the Philly star, passing nasty comments such as ‘soft’ and ‘crybaby.’ Embiid’s failure in the playoff has played a huge role in Shaq not adding him to the ‘Big Man Alliance.’ However, this season, O’Neal has changed his stance towards JoJo. On numerous occasions, the Hall-Of-Famer praised Embiid.
Amid an incredible season, averaging more than 36 points per game, Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t help but shower Embiid with lofty praises. Sharing the ‘dominant’ title that Shaq only used for himself and Wilt Chamberlain, O’Neal took credit for Joel’s improvement as a player.
Earlier this month, Shaq dished perhaps the biggest compliments to the Sixers leader. Paul George claimed that Embiid was the modern version of Shaq. Instead of criticizing and refuting the Los Angeles Clippers star, ‘the Diesel’ shared the same quote on his Instagram Story, seeming to agree with him.
Joel Embiid is having a historic campaign. Averaging 36.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, the former Kansas Jayhawk will certainly be making his seventh All-Star and sixth All-NBA selection this season. Even if Embiid is unable to lift the championship, he should be a consideration for Shaq to add to the ‘Big Man Alliance’ if he manages to win the Most Valuable Player award once again.
