"SGA should've been the MVP": Nikola Jokic receives back handed compliment from Shaquille O'Neal after clinching MVP
Shaquille O'Neal raved about Nikola Jokic throughout the entire playoffs last season and made him a member of the so-called “Big Man Alliance.” This is an imaginary group created by Shaq that only has the best big men on the list. O’Neal included “The Joker” even before the Denver Nuggets superstar won the championship.
When Jokic eventually led the Nuggets to its first franchise crown at the expense of the Miami Heat, O’Neal was proud. He was convinced that his group just got more illustrious and exclusive with the player he considered the best in the NBA.
This year, Nikola Jokic was once again named the regular-season MVP (for the third time in the last four years). Only Joel Embiid’s win last season prevented it from a four-year romp by the quiet and unassuming Serbian. Shaquille O'Neal had this to say to Jokic after the award was announced:
“Joker [Jokic], as president of the ‘Big Man Alliance,’ you’re the vice president of the ‘Big Man Alliance,’ you know I love you, the best player in the league. I wanna congratulate you but I want you to hear from me first, I thought that SGA [Gilgeous-Alexander] should have been the MVP. That’s no disrespect to you and congratulations.”
O’Neal’s comment was a little bit confusing. He said Nikola Jokic was the “best player in the league,” but he thought Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should have won MVP. The LA Lakers legend has often said that the award should go to the best player in the NBA so his statement was a bit of a contradiction.
Jokic took it in a stride and subtlety pushed back:
“Thank you Shaq, we don’t judge people here. That’s fine, it’s your opinion.”
Nikola Jokic did concede that SGA and a few others deserved to go home with the Michael Jordan Trophy. “The Joker” insisted that the difference was in the “details” and the “small things.” He was happy that he won the award, but he was more concerned about where the Denver Nuggets are right now in the playoffs.
For Shaquille O'Neal, the OKC Thunder guard was more deserving as Oklahoma topped the Western Conference over Jokic’s Nuggets. He said he didn’t want to “rain on people’s parades” and that he was “not happy” with the result.
Nikola Jokic tells Shaquille O'Neal his attention is only on the Timberwolves
The Denver Nuggets stunningly lost back-to-back games at home, a place where they often run their opponents to the ground. Game 2 of the series was even more embarrassing for Nikola Jokic and Co. as Rudy Gobert did not play and still Minnesota whipped them 106-80. A win by the Timberwolves on Friday will make it nearly impossible for the Nuggets to retain their title.
Jokic had a matter-of-fact answer to Shaquille O'Neal regarding his focus and Denver’s goal:
“We had a tough stretch, we lost two games at home against Minnesota. Tomorrow we leave and we’re going to Minnesota to try [and] get back the series to Denver.”
O’Neal wasn’t happy Jokic took home another MVP trophy, but the Serbian did not seem like he cared about others’ opinions about the win. He only has his sights on the Timberwolves as the Nuggets desperately hope to break through against their opponents.