Shaquille O’Neal praises Nuggets star Nikola Jokic’s performance in Denver’s 104-93 victory over Miami in the NBA Finals, calling him the “true definition of a great player”
- Jokic broke multiple records in a dominant game to open the NBA title streak
- O’Neal said the Serb showed he is ‘definitely playing the game the right way’
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal was impressed by Nikola Jokic’s superstar performance in Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday.
Jokic posted a triple-double in his Finals debut – the first to accomplish the feat since Jason Kidd in 2002 – as his Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat 104-93.
The “Joker” — as Denver fans have affectionately dubbed him — dropped 27 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists that night.
In doing so, he also broke Bill Russell’s old record for assists by a center in an NBA Finals game.
“Joker, what can you say about him?” began O’Neal. “Very impressive passing, scoring, leadership, and he’s bringing a real definition of the game to you.
Shaquille O’Neal sang Nikola Jokic’s praises after Thursday’s NBA Finals Game 1
Jokic, 15, dropped a triple-double in his Finals debut – the first player to do so since 2002
“Joker” also broke Bill Russell’s longstanding NBA Finals record for assists by a center in a game
“He’s letting the true definition of the game come to you… This guy is super impressive as a big man and I’m glad I got to see him live.” ¿@SHAQ has high praise for The Joker pic.twitter.com/wjwkzR1vLi
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 2, 2023
“Charles and myself, and sometimes Grant, we went and got it. But you know, for the first five, six minutes he probably didn’t even take a shot. … Most guys, especially the number one option, will get it [and think] “I want to score, but you know what? I’m going to look for my teammates. I’m going to create opportunities for them.”
And he’s the very definition of a great player. Not only does he make sure he looks good, he makes everyone look good. And I don’t know if he’s a pass first or a shoot first big man, but he definitely plays the game right.
“He was super impressive to watch. This is the new age of a great man. He can go in, he can [go] outside he can pass, he can start the break.
“But again, if you’re a smaller defender, your teammates are going to be going up against a smaller defender, he won’t let you get away with that. He will make the right game every time. … This guy is super impressive as a big man, and I’m glad I got to see him live.”
Denver hopes to extend their series lead when they play Game 2 on Sunday-evening.