Nikola Jokic had a fun dig at Shaquille O’Neal after the latter praised the Denver Nuggets star, who in turn proceeded to say he patterned his game after him.
Speaking to the TNT crew in the aftermath of the win, Jokic was asked about the game in general and the focus then shifted to who he modeled his game after.
Grant Hill: “Growing up overseas, who were the guys that you wanted to pattern your game after?”
Nikola Jokic: “I think it’s Shaq.”
Shaquille O’Neal: “Means a lot. Thank you, brother.”
Nikola Jokic: “I’m joking”
Grant Hill NBA TV: "Growing up overseas, who were the guys that you wanted to pattern your game after?…"
Nikola Jokic: "I think it's Shaq 🤣"
Shaq: "That means a lot, thank you brother–"
Jokic: "Nah I"m joking"https://t.co/c4UbzncnhT
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) June 2, 2023
And the crew exploded with laughter soon after. Safe to say, it was all in good taste. On the game front, Jokic propped up a triple-double in his Finals debut as his the rest of his teammates put together strong performances to take a 1-0 lead.
There’s no denying that both Shaq and Jokic have stark differences when it comes to playing styles. The Lakers big man was more athletic, while the two-time MVP is a lot more versatile with his excellent court vision and high IQ playmaking. But it was a neat gesture on the Serbian’s part to give Shaq a compliment.
Nikola Jokic On Game 1 Win: “To Be Honest, I’m Not Excited…I Know What They Are Capable Of.”
Despite winning the first game, Jokic cautioned against complacency and decided not to celebrate too much. He knew what the Miami Heat were capable of, and he highlighted just as much when talking to the TNT crew.
“To be honest, I’m not excited. I’m really focused because I know what they’re capable of,” Jokic said, per a ClutchPoints report.
“They beat some really good teams that had a better record than us. We as a team, we are not relaxed. It’s a really important win for us especially because they won the first game in every [previous] round. As a team, we have a huge respect for the Miami Heat. Our focus and our mentality is not relaxed.”
It goes without saying that Jokic is locked in, and so are his teammates. It’s also good to see that there is no bad blood, and they respect their opponents. While the Heat have three championships to their name, the Nuggets are looking to hoist their first, and the mentality they have is perfect.
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