Shaquille O’Neal: Giannis Antetokounmpo ‘Better Than Me at 24’

Shaquille O’Neal says 24-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo is better than he was at the same age.

The Hall of Fame center also gave The Greek Freak his “Superman” nickname back in November.

https://twitter.com/redapples/status/1113245773146275840

Giannis is having an MVP-caliber season, averaging 27.4 points (shooting 57.7 percent from the field), 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game.

Per The Big Podcast With Shaq:

“He’s better because he has more opportunity to showcase more,” O’Neal said. “I was a post player, and the only thing I was allowed to showcase was my domination. He’s running the floor. I did that early, [but] I stopped doing that because I stopped getting the ball when I ran the floor, so I turned into a half-court dominant player.”

[…]

“But yeah, he’s better,” O’Neal said. “And that’s why I gave up my ‘Superman’ title to him [in November]. And you know what? He works hard. He’s a humble kid. He works hard. He doesn’t just come and show up and expect people to say, ‘Oh, hey, I do this, I do that, I’m the next …’ Nah, this kid actually works, and he’s earned it. He’s earned my respect, and he deserves it, so I’m giving it to him. To answer all the critics’ questions, you’re right, the kid was better than me at 24.”

Related Giannis Antetokounmpo: ‘A Lot of People Say That I Can Be the Face of the League’