Getty NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal stands in Joel Embiid's corner as MVP chants keep growing louder.
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has turned the NBA into his personal playground over the last 30 days. He is doing things that no player — center, guard, forward, Space Jam character — has ever made look this easy, mainly because he blends the finesse of a shooter with the power of a big man.
Embiid, never bashful, ignited a whole new debate when he boldly declared that he could be Shaquille O’Neal “whenever I want.” Then, he doubled down by adding: “I’m also able to be Dirk [Nowitzki], Kobe [Bryant], or MJ [Michael Jordan], or any guard really.”
The All-Star center wasn’t trying to be arrogant, although (maybe) it came off that way. His point was that his elite skillset can present all kinds of matchup problems. But some did take it the wrong way, so we took the issue straight to O’Neal for clarification.
Here is what the Hall of Famer told Heavy.com’s Emily Bicks: “Joel is a bright player who is very confident in his game. He knows he can’t just become Shaq, Dirk, Kobe or MJ at any time but I take nothing away from him. Kid can ball. He’s an all-star that will be around for a while.”
With Joel Embiid sitting out tonight’s game, he ends January with the following per-48-minute rates:
✅ 50.8 PTS
✅ 16.1 REB
✅ 7.6 AST
Embiid is the first player in NBA history to average at least 50p/15r/5a per 48 minutes in a calendar month (min. 10 GP).
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Shaq Endorses Embiid for NBA MVP
The relationship between Embiid and O’Neal has been nurtured throughout the years. Embiid has taken hard criticism and turned it into fuel to get better. They have a big brother-little brother vibe, particularly noticeable in post-game interviews.
So it was no huge surprise to hear O’Neal hype up Embiid’s MVP credentials during a recent TNT broadcast. He’s pulling for the Sixers’ big man to bring home the hardware.
“He does have my vote, but there are some cuckoos that say, ‘Oh, this team had a better record, so this guy’s MVP.’ I always thought Most Valuable Player was a single award,” O’Neal said on January 26. “Which means you’re the baddest guy in the league. And the baddest guy in the league right now is Joel Embiid. But they’re in sixth place, so hopefully, the media doesn’t penalize him if another guy who’s close and his team has a better record.”
“The baddest guy in the league right now is Joel Embiid.”
The Sixers were in sixth place in the Eastern Conference when O’Neal made those comments. Philadelphia has since won three straight and jumped up to the No. 3 seed at 31-19.
Getting Ready for ‘Shaq’s Fun House’
O’Neal — a four-time world champion — has been retired since 2011 following stints with the Magic, Lakers, Heat, Suns, Cavaliers, Celtics. Yet he remains a global celebrity who can be heard regularly as an unapologetic basketball analyst on TNT’s Emmy Award-winning show “Inside the NBA.”
The 49-year-old has also turned himself into a popular pitchman and his newest venture is “Shaq’s Fun House,” a music festival-meets-carnival happening at The Shrine in Los Angeles during Super Bowl weekend on February 11.
Tickets are on sale now (click here) and feature live performances from Lil Wayne, DJ Diesel, Diplo, Zedd, and more. O’Neal is also picking one lucky fan to be his assistant for the event, via a collaboration with ZipRecruiter.
“Man, I’ll be DJ-ing. I got my son DJ-ing,” O’Neal told the Hollywood Reporter. “Look, it’s all about fun and enjoying the weekend. Hopefully, everybody has fun. Let’s just enjoy ourselves.”
Shaq’s Fun House is @jimmyfallon approved! ✅ Join us for the most over the top event of the big game weekend, February 11th!
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