Three-Time MVP Nikola Jokic responds to Shaquille O’Neal arguing that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should…..
It’s official. For a third time in his career, Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic has been named the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player. It was a tight race between the now-three-time MVP and the other two finalists, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luka Doncic, who finished second and third in the final voting, respectively.
The NBA on TNT crew got first dibs at interviewing Jokic shortly after the official announcement, and apparently, it was an opportunity for legendary big man Shaquille O’Neal to tell Jokic to his face that he felt the Nuggets star should not have won the trophy.
Denver Nuggets News: Shaq Takes Issue of Nikola Jokic’s MVP Win
"I don't like to rain on people's parade, but I'm not happy with this one. …I felt Shai deserved it."@SHAQ reacts to Jokic winning MVP pic.twitter.com/JwtiPOsFyu
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) May 8, 2024
Shaq is a straight-shooter and you can always count on the Hall of Famer to tell it as it is. This is exactly why the four-time NBA champion made his opinion about Gilgeous-Alexander being more deserving of the MVP title over Jokic abundantly clear:
You have to say, the man has a point.
Nikola Jokic Claps Back at Shaq
Not only is Shaq an honest fellow, but he also has no fear when it comes to telling people the ugly truth. This is exactly what went down on Wednesday night as O’Neal told Jokic to his face that he believes the MVP title should have gone in a different direction.
Jokic quickly clapped back at Shaq by saying that “it’s fine” because “it’s his opinion.”
Shaquille O'Neal tells his "vice president of the Big Man Alliance" Nikola Jokic that he did not think The Joker should win his 3rd MVP this year pic.twitter.com/f5jAciL5Th
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) May 8, 2024
Jokic immediately said that he was joking, which prompted a light-hearted moment between himself and O’Neal. To be fair to Shaq, he also made it clear that he meant no disrespect to the Nuggets superstar, and that he just tells it as he sees it.
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Denver Nuggets fans call out Shaquille O’Neal over interview with three-time MVP Nikola Jokic
It was not that much of a surprise when Nikola Jokic won his third MVP award this season. The Denver Nuggets may not have taken the top spot in the Western Conference, but everyone knows the team wouldn’t even be able to thrive without him orchestrating the offense.
Jokic’s stats are impressive, but his numbers don’t tell the entire story for the Nuggets. Without the Serbian leading the team, the Nuggets have little to no chance of making a deep playoff run.
However, not everyone is happy with Jokic winning his third MVP award. Shaquille O’Neal has come forward with a clear belief that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have gotten the MVP for the incredible work his Oklahoma City Thunder have done.
He’s so set on his beliefs that he even told Jokic that he believes the Canadian should be getting this year’s awards. While the man himself understood that Shaq was just sharing his thoughts, fans weren’t as warm to his thoughts.
Denver Nuggets fans troll Shaquille O’Neal for believing Nikola Jokic doesn’t deserve his MVP award
The way Shaq told Jokic that the Oklahoma City Thunder guard deserved the award more than he does was jarring that everyone had an immediate reaction to his sentiments.
Understandably, Denver Nuggets fans were in an uproar over his comments. Per The Spun’s Andrew Holleran:
“Shaq telling Jokic to his face was some insecure, major hater energy. Pathetic behavior, and big shoutout to Jokic for handling that respectfully,” one fan wrote.
“Big petty hater energy… Sad to see the legends go out like that..” one fan added.
“This is so unprofessional,” another fan wrote.
However, Holleran also noted that not everyone was hating on the Hall of Famer’s words:
“Honestly I respect this more than saying it to everyone else. Also Joker does not care. Just another day down until he gets to see his horses!” one fan added.
It’s understandable why O’Neal believes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander deserves the plaudits with the impressive season he put up for the Thunder. He finished the 2023-24 season with 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists on 53.5% shooting and 35.3% from long range.
However, it can be argued that the Thunder would have still performed fine without SGA. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams have done a brilliant job of being secondary stars to the guard they can handle almost every NBA team just fine.
You cannot say the same for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic occupies such an important spot in the team’s roster that they would be lost without him. While it’s fair to cheer for another player to win MVP, to discredit him of the honor is to deny his value to the defending champs.
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