Shaquille O'Neal joins Fat Joe in backing Jalen Brunson's MVP bid
NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal has seemingly endorsed Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks for MVP after his impressive performance this season. The 6-foot-2 guard has played a pivotal role for the Knicks, who currently hold the third position in the Eastern Conference with a 32-17 record.
Shaq shared a post on his Instagram story from New York rapper Fat Joe, who referred to Brunson as the MVP after the 27-year-old scored 40 points in a victory against the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 1.
Shaq did not include his own caption, but in the video, Fat Joe showered Jalen Brunson with praise.
“Congrats, my brother. Wow. You deserve it, Jalen, you deserve it, baby. MVP! MVP,” Fat Joe said. “In the biggest market, everybody scared to come play here, Jalen.”
Brunson has averaged 27.1 points and 6.4 assists while shooting 41.7% from deep per game this season.
His performance so far has earned him his first All-Star selection, making it to the reserves list of the Eastern Conference.
Brunson currently holds odds of +4000 to be this season's MVP, tied with Celtics star Jayson Tatum for the fifth-best odds, according to BetMGM.
Above them are Nikola Jokic (-155), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (+250), Luka Doncic (+900) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (+900).
Shaq compares Jalen Brunson to Allen Iverson
In advocating for Jalen Brunson as an All-Star starter, Shaquille O'Neal drew parallels between the guard and former league MVP Allen Iverson.
“I chose Jalen Brunson. He’s talked about as a small guard and him not being able to carry a team but he’s a bad motherf**er,” O’Neal said on Jan. 23.
“And he plays great ball so I wanted to give him the nod. Donovan Mitchell will also be there. He’s also playing great but I haven’t seen a small guy do whatever he wants to do since Iverson. So, I like Brunson.”
O'Neal, along with Kobe Bryant, defeated Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2001 NBA Finals, securing the championship in five games. The LA Lakers dominated the postseason with a 15-1 record, and their lone loss came against Iverson's 76ers.
Iverson averaged 35.6 points per game in that series.
Brunson rose to stardom after leaving the Dallas Mavericks, where he spent the first four years of his career, and joining the New York Knicks in the 2022 free agency.
He is averaging career-highs in points and assists, as well as attempts from the field, from deep, and from the free-throw line.