The playing days for TNT analyst and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal are long over.
That's why he is reduced to hypothetical matchups against today's players. After Tuesday's epic performance by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, O'Neal was roped into an argument on who would win an individual matchup when both were prime players.
Jokic had 61 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a double-overtime loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. O'Neal gave a blunt response when asked about facing Jokic.
"Slovenian chicken," O'Neal said. "I'm getting 40 and they're going to have to double me. He's probably going to pick and pop and take me out of that."
“2001 Shaq vs 2025 Nikola Jokic, what happens?"
Shaq: "Slovenian chicken...Imma make his brothers want to fight me." 🤣
(h/t @ClutchPoints)
pic.twitter.com/JpeRLOBCjb
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) April 1, 2025
O'Neal was one of the most dominant big men in league history, winning three straight titles with the Los Angeles Lakers from 2000-02. While he won another championship with the Miami Heat in 2006, his years in Los Angeles were the best.
O'Neal teamed with Kobe Bryant to form a duo that was untouchable for the early portion of that decade. O'Neal said he would simply overpower Jokic throughout the game despite the disparity in their three-point shooting.
Even though the game is geared more toward the perimeter, O'Neal would take his odds in the paint.
"I'm gonna hit way more twos than you hit threes," O'Neal said. "And I'm going to make his brothers want to fight me because the first play of the game, elbows."
Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com
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