Shaquille O’Neal gives props to Ja Morant and considers him a contender for MVP: “You don't say Ja Morant's name enough”
Shaquille O'Neal is one of the greatest players of all time and can spot talent just by watching a few minutes of what a player does. NBA players know when others have that "it" factor, and Shaq believes that Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies has exactly that.
Not only does O'Neal believe that Ja is a player who could win the MVP, but he's also been on record in the past, saying that Ja might be the best player in the NBA. Considering what he does on a nightly basis, there can certainly be an argument to be made that he could be one of the best players in the league right now.
However, Shaquille O'Neal is starting to feel some disrespect for what the media is doing to Ja Morant. He notices that they aren't showing him the same type of love as other players when it comes to MVP talk.
"I'm upset. When all you experts are talking about MVPs, you don't say Ja Morant's name enough... The kid can flat out play..."
"I'm upset. When all you experts are talking about MVPs, you don't say Ja Morant's name enough... The kid can flat out play..."
Shaq giving Ja Morant his flowers 🌻
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Shaquille O'Neal is a big Ja Morant fan
This isn't the first time that Shaquille O'Neal has praised Ja for what he's done on the court. While both players played differently because of how much bigger Shaquille was than Ja, there were certainly some similarities to their games. Given how good Ja Morant is at going to the basket, O'Neal is definitely interested in how he plays.
"I love Ja Morant. I want to give him props. He's the new age, the new day, Allen Iverson. He's not the best player in the world now. I'm not saying that disrespectfully, but in two to three years, he will be the best player in the world.
"He lets veterans know he's coming. He plays with reckless abandonment, loves to talk trash, doesn't care. He can shoot the three, loves to put on a show for the fans."
Not only does Shaq believe that Morant should be in the MVP conversation this season, but he's also mentioned how Ja plays like some of the other all-time greats that he's played with. Hearing him in the same sentence as guys like Kobe Bryant and Penny Hardaway might not be too far-fetched if he continues on this trajectory.
“I had the ability to play with three fabulous guards that had that ‘it factor,'” the TNT analyst explained. “My first came in was Penny Hardaway. From the first year, he was cold. He had it. Kobe Bryant had that attitude, like, ‘Listen, I’m the best player on the court. I don’t care who’s here.’
"And then, when I went to Miami and played with D-Wade. [Morant] has the ‘it factor.’ He knows he’s the best guy on the court. He knows he’s a great player already.”
Some of the things that Shaquille O'Neal says are certainly interesting, but at the end of the day, he knows talent, and Ja Morant has exactly that.