Shaquille O'Neal Officially Bestows 'Superman' Nickname on Modern NBA Superstar
Shaquille O’Neal. Cam Newton. Dwight Howard. … Giannis Antetokounmpo
All four are larger-than-life athletes, and now all four have been given the nickname of “Superman.”
Antetokounmpo is already known as the “Greek Freak,” in part because it’s easier to say than his surname, but Shaq bestowed the “Superman” nickname to the Milwaukee Bucks forward earlier this week.
“I’ve never given my name up before, but I’m giving it to him. He’s the new Superman. You heard it here first,” O’Neal said on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on ESPN Radio on Thursday afternoon. “I didn’t hit no 3-pointer, either, but he’s dominating and that’s what I like. He’s dominating in the paint. You taking it to the hole. You throwing it down. You ain’t shooting no flip shots.”
Antetokounmpo is putting up numbers in the paint that haven’t been seen since Shaq was wearing Lakers’ purple and gold.
The Bucks’ All-Star is averaging 18.9 points in the paint this season, which is the most by any player since Shaq averaged 19.6 in the 2002-03 season.
The four-time champion and Hall of Famer then doubled down on Giannis Thursday night on TNT.
Shaq said his top 3 players are
1. Giannis/LeBron
2. Giannis/LeBron
3. Kawhi pic.twitter.com/G5n5huWF4b— Sportsmatchups (@sportsmatchupz) November 30, 2018
“It’s either between Giannis or LeBron (James),” Shaq responded when asked who the best player in the NBA is.
Antetokounmpo is averaging career highs in points per game, rebounds per game and assists per game while also leading Milwaukee to the second-best record in the NBA.
He’s currently on pace to become the second player in NBA history to average at least 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists over a season. Oscar Robertson is the only other one to do so, with his triple-double averages in the 1961-62 season.
The one knock on Antetokounmpo has always been his outside shooting, and he’s converted just 11.8 percent of his 51 3-point attempts this season.
But he makes up for that with his ability to get to the basket, as evident by his league-leading 97 dunks this season.
Rudy Gobert is second on that list with 91 dunks while Antetokounmpo has three times as many dunks as Shaq’s other best NBA player, James (32 dunks).
After finishing seventh in MVP voting in 2016-17 and then sixth last season, Antetokounmpo has already earned Shaq’s vote for the award.
“The Greek Freak is the MVP right now,” O’Neal said. “How about that?”
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