More than a week ago, Jason Kidd made the headlines for making some bold claims. Following the Dallas Mavericks win over the Orlando Magic, Kidd showered Luka Doncic with lofty praises. While expressing admiration for his star player, the Mavs head coach placed Doncic in the same stratosphere as Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Discussing the comments on TNT Tuesday, Shaquille O’Neal respectfully disagreed with Jason Kidd.
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Luka Doncic’s performance from his first six professional campaigns has impressed enthusiasts from all over the world. Jason Kidd, who has had the privilege of coaching Luka for the last three years, is among the many personalities from the basketball world to be left in awe. According to the 50-year-old, the Slovenian has already surpassed Dirk Nowitzki as the better player. He further stated that the 6ft 7” guard was in the same tier as the game’s greatest players.
“He’s [Doncic] better than Dirk. He’s in the atmosphere of MJ, the best to ever do it, LeBron, Kobe,” Jason Kidd exclaimed.
Shaquille O’Neal, who previously shared Kidd’s comments on his Instagram Story, now disagrees with the same. On TNT Tuesday, Shaq simply stated that it was way too early in Luka’s career to compare him to legendary players. However, he did admit that Doncic was a “great player”.
“A little too early for that. Great player… But, I’ve seen a lot of guys that played great in their first four years… Great player, but better than Dirk? A little too early,” Shaq said.
The Big Aristotle double downed on his take by stating that Stephen Curry deserved to be compared to the mentioned legends before Doncic. And if Luka wanted to be in the same rank as them, he’d have to surpass Curry.
“Great player, but I don’t think you can start putting him in that category yet. Not before my boy Steph Curry,” Shaq said.
Luka Doncic has had a terrific career, so far. Since joining the league in 2018, the European prodigy has already been selected to five All-Star Games and four All-NBA Teams while averaging 28.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8.1 assists per game. Doncic is only 24 years old, which means he will further improve as he grows older and will rack up several more individual accolades. However, as of now, it is inaccurate to claim that Doncic’s career is distinguished enough to put him alongside the likes of Jordan, LeBron, and Bryant.
Jamal Crawford is tired of the Michael Jordan-Luka Doncic comparisons
Jamal Crawford, also a part of the TNT Tuesday panel, agreed with Shaquille O’Neal. The legendary guard did express his faith in Luka Doncic, stating that the latter was on track to become an all-time great.
“Luka’s on his way to be one of the greats,” Crawford said.
After stating that Doncic hasn’t yet deserved these comparisons, Crawford made a bold claim. According to the three-time Sixth Man of the Year, Michael Jordan was the greatest player of all time. Crawford revealed being tired of people comparing players to Jordan.
“I’m kind of tired of people throwing around Michael Jordan’s name. We talking about MJ, he’s the best ever… he’s too good to be compared to (anyone),” Crawford said.
Doncic has had a historic career, however, MJ’s performance in his first six seasons was far more impressive. The 6ft 6” shooting guard was on a tear, averaging 32.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6 assists, 2.8 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game. Apart from making it to all the All-Star Games, five All-NBA Teams, and three All-Defensive Teams, Jordan had also won the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year award.
