Why Shaquille O’Neal names the only 4 real superstars in the NBA .. Read more..šš
Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo immediatley came to Shaq’s mind. The other two guys, he had to be reminded of. And then the Kawhi Leonard issue came up.
Shaquille OāNealĀ has his idea of who are the real superstars in the NBA, and surprisingly,Ā Kawhi LeonardĀ is not one of them.
The real superstars
How do you become an NBA superstar? What makes you different from just being a regular star? There are many factors to it. The number of championship rings, All-Star appearances, stats, All-NBA Team selections, MVPs, Finals MVP, and how big your salary is could help differentiate a superstar from a real star. Those in the max deal territory can be categorized as superstars simply because they are paid like one.
In an interview, Shaquille OāNealĀ namedĀ who he thinks are the real superstars in the league.
āSteph Curry is a superstar. Giannis Anteokounmpo, heās a superstar. Who else? Iām not sure.ā
Shaquille O’Neal names the only 4 real superstars in the NBA
Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo immediatley came to Shaq’s mind. The other two guys, he had to be reminded of. And then the Kawhi Leonard issue came up.
JUN 28, 2022
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Shaquille O’Neal
Ā© Cary Edmondson – USA TODAY Sports
Shaquille OāNealĀ has his idea of who are the real superstars in the NBA, and surprisingly,Ā Kawhi LeonardĀ is not one of them.
The real superstars
How do you become an NBA superstar? What makes you different from just being a regular star? There are many factors to it. The number of championship rings, All-Star appearances, stats, All-NBA Team selections, MVPs, Finals MVP, and how big your salary is could help differentiate a superstar from a real star. Those in the max deal territory can be categorized as superstars simply because they are paid like one.
In an interview, Shaquille OāNealĀ namedĀ who he thinks are the real superstars in the league.
āSteph Curry is a superstar. Giannis Anteokounmpo, heās a superstar. Who else? Iām not sure.ā
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The host then asked if LeBron James and Kevin Durant could be considered superstars, to which Shaq agreed. But when the host asked about Kawhi, Shaq claimed he didnāt know and fired back if she would put Kawhi on her list. āThere was a time that like yeah, heās a superstar. Heās a star for sure. I think right now; Iād say star.ā
All of Shaqās picks won Finals MVP, MVP, and at least an NBA championship. Plus, they are all on a max deal. Leonard is a 2-time champion, 5-time All-Star, and one of the youngest to win the finals MVP in 2014. So why does Shaq think he is not a superstar in the NBA?
Is Kawhi Leonard a superstar?
If a player canāt play, regardless of if he is a superstar or a role player, he canāt contribute. Kawhi Leonard, when healthy, is a superstar; thereās no debate on that. But heās been sidelined by a torn ACL since the 2021 playoffs. Weāre not sure how much of a superstar remains in him when he returns, but thereās no reason to believe he would decline that much.
Availability issues are probably ONealās reasons why heās skeptical about considering Kawhi a superstar. The former Spurs forward have been hounded by load management controversies in his career. Some criticize him for opting to rest in games. Others applaud him for trying to think long-term. Until he addresses those concerns by playing and being available consistently, Shaq probably wonāt change his mind about Leonard.
If Kawhi watched the interview, he could use the Shaq shade as motivation next season. As mentioned by the host, there was a time when Leonard and theĀ L.A. ClippersĀ were dominating the league. And fans have bigger expectations now that Leonard is expected to join Paul George and rumored new ClipperĀ John Wall. But knowing Kawhi, he would instead let his game do the talking than engage in a back-and-forth with Shaq.
Come to think of it, the least superstar thing about Kawhi is his introverted, low-key nature. If he’s not on the court, he’s not in our basketball consciousness. We hope that changes soon.