NBA
After winning his first NBA title, Shaquille O’Neal welcomed Nikola Jokic to the ‘Big Man Alliance’
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated14 Jun 2023
On Monday night, the Denver Nuggets beat the Miami Heat in five games to win the NBA Finals. Proving his dominance this postseason was two-time MVP Nikola Jokic. He was named the Finals MVP and was Denver’s catalyst through the playoffs. After winning his first NBA title, Shaquille O’Neal welcomed Nikola Jokic to the ‘Big Man Alliance’.
At just 28, Jokic is one of the best talents in the NBA and has more to prove in his career. Denver’s path to an NBA title was not overly challenging this postseason. There’s potential for the Nuggets to build a dynasty around the core group of players they have.
In the NBA, there’s a great history of big men who have dominated the league as a whole. They are Hall of Famers like Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal. According to Shaq, Nikola Jokic has solidified himself as one of the best big men in league history.
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Nikola Jokic got recognition from Shaq as being one of the league’s best all-time big men
During the 2023 postseason, Nikola Jokic was on an absolute tear. He averaged 30/13/9 and had a triple-double in half of their playoff games in 2023. On top of that, he is the first player in NBA history to lead the entire playoffs in total points, rebounds, and assists.
No other big man in the modern NBA can match the kind of production that Jokic gives on a consistent basis. Being a part of this “big man alliance” doesn’t come with any awards or trophies. However, Jokic should be humbled that O’Neal thinks this highly of him.
Bill Russell, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kareem Adbul-Jabbar are NBA royalty. Jokic being mentioned with these Hall of Famers speaks to his talent level. The Serbian big man is an NBA champ, Finals MVP, two-time league MVP, and five-time all-star. With the team they currently have, Denver will have a great chance at trying to be back-to-back champions.
