Shaquille O’Neal under fire from NBA Executives over controversial MVP comments to Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic on Wednesday won the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. Several fans did not like the awkward way Shaquille O’Neal congratulated Jokic for winning the trophy.
Jokic appeared on TNT’s “Inside The NBA” earlier this week after winning his third MVP in four seasons.
Shaq, one of the panelists on the show, congratulated Jokic for his achievement. But the four-time champion also admitted that he believes Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have won the award over Jokic.
Shaq tells Nikola Jokic straight up that he thinks SGA deserved MVP over him 😯 pic.twitter.com/BsSbkQVspm
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 8, 2024
“You know I love you,” Shaq told Jokic. “You’re the best player in the league. I want to congratulate you. But I want you to hear it from me first. I thought that [Gilgeous-Alexander] should have been the MVP. That’s no disrespect to you. But congratulations.”
Shaq is obviously entitled to his opinion. Gilgeous-Alexander also had an MVP-caliber season and finished second in MVP voting behind Jokic.
I like Shaq, but Shaq, cut it out. What Jokic just did has nothing to do with what happened to you 20 years ago. We gotta stop it with the athletes and their whole personal agenda. Shaq just rained on this man’s parade because he finished 2nd. pic.twitter.com/ZV2EXFbrCg
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 10, 2024
But fans and media members on X felt like Shaq was raining on Jokic’s parade by sharing his opinion to the Nuggets star during what was supposed to be a celebratory moment.
Jokic had a dominant regular season with averages of 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game on 58.3% shooting across 79 games played. He led the Nuggets to a 57-25 record, which tied Gilgeous-Alexander’s Thunder for the best mark in the West.
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Anthony Edwards praised for comments following Game 3 loss to Nuggets
After his Timberwolves seized a 2-0 lead against the Nuggets, Anthony Edwards predicted the defending champions would “come out punching” in Game 3. But he also expected him and his teammates to “punch back.” Only the first of those two prophecies came true Friday as Denver blew out Minnesota by 27 points.
Ant took the blame for the Timberwolves' blowout loss in Game 3 👀 @notthefakeSVP
"That's on me, I'll take the blame for this loss, I came out with no energy at all." pic.twitter.com/e2zuhjyrTh
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 11, 2024
Edwards took total accountability for the 117-90 loss.
“It’s on me,” Edwards told reporters after the game. “I’ll take the blame for this loss. I came out with no energy at all. I can’t afford to do that for my team. I let my team and my coaches down. I’ll be ready for Sunday.”
The uber-confident Edwards said he was happy to see the Nuggets staying alive in the series as that’s exactly what he and his teammates wanted.
“I like the fact that they punched [Friday] and we didn’t punch back,” Edwards admitted. “That’s the thing about [playoff basketball], that’s fun. You go to compete, so this should be very competitive Sunday and we’re gonna be here for it.”
Edwards’ comments earned praise from analysts and fans alike, especially for his willingness to take the blame for Friday’s loss. It’s the latest example of the 22-year-old showing leadership intangibles at a young age, a trait that has earned him comparisons with Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Interestingly, the Timberwolves are only a -2.5 favorite entering Sunday’s Game 4 at home, a sign of oddsmakers trusting the champions to stay afloat in the series. In comparison, Minnesota opened Game 3 as strong -4.5 favorites in most sportsbooks after asserting a 2-0 lead in the series.
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