NBA

Shaquille O’Neal Says He Would Dominate Against Nikola Jokić

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By
Dan Girolamo
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Dan Girolamo Sports Editor

Dan is a multifaceted content creator who specializes in sports, pop culture, and entertainment. His entertainment work has been featured on Digital Trends, where he has interviewed Brendan Fraser, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alison Brie, Adam DeVine, Sadie Sink, Chris O'Dowd, Machine Gun Kelly, and Frank Grillo. Dan's entertainment work has also been featured on Coming Soon, Hidden Remote, and WatchMojo. Dan's other passion in life revolves around sports, graduating from Marist College with a degree in Sports Communication and Journalism. From columns about the latest in New York sports to gambling predictions, Dan continues to find success in written and broadcast journalism. Previous written work can be found at Unafraid Show, while broadcast clips can be seen on WAVE.tv and CBS Sports.

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Published02 Apr 2025

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Shaquille O'Neal holds a mic.

If he ever played against Nikola Jokic, Shaquille O’Neal believes he would dominate the Joker by scoring 40 points.

Shaq Gives His Thoughts About Playing Against The Joker

On Tuesday’s NBA on TNT, host Adam Lefkoe and the panel reacted to Jokic’s 61-point triple-double against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Lefkoe turned to O’Neal and presented the Hall of Famer with a hypothetical question.

“2001 Shaq. 2025 Nikola Jokić. What happens?” Lefkoe said to O’Neal.

Without hesitation, O’Neal said, “Slovenian chicken, or wherever he’s from.”

It’s a take on O’Neal’s signature “barbeque chicken” comment he makes when one player dominates another.

However, Lefkoe immediately let O’Neal know that Jokic is Serbian, not Slovenian.

O’Neal said he would “tear” Jokic up and predicted his stats.

“I’m getting 40, and they’re going to have to double me,” O’Neal said. “He is probably going to pick and pop and take me out of there, but he probably won’t be in the game awhile because after he shoots the 3, I’m running right to the middle lane, and the whole arena gonna yell, ‘Three seconds,’ and we’ll see. And I’m going to hit way more twos than you hit threes — guarantee you that.”

O’Neal added that Jokic’s brothers would want to fight him for the move he would pull at the beginning of the contest.

“First play of the game, elbow,” O’Neal said while miming an elbow to the mouth.

Nikola Jokic Records Historic Statline

The Joker had a historic game on Tuesday night.

Jokic ended the game with 61 points, the most by a player this season, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in 52 minutes.

Jokic’s 61 points are the most points in a triple-double in NBA history.

However, Jokic’s effort was not enough to win as the Timberwolves defeated the Nuggets 140-139 in double overtime.

With 14 seconds and the Nuggets up 139-138, Russell Westbrook stole the ball and attempted to run a fast break with Christian Braun.

Westbrook missed the layup, hustled back on defense, and fouled Nickeil Alexander-Walker on a 3-point attempt with 0.1 left.

Alexander-Walker made the first two and missed the last on purpose to seal the victory for the Wolves.