‘Stop it clown’: Ron Harper defends Shaq from claim that he was worse than Nikola Jokic defensively

Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal was renowned for his unique ability to put the ball through the net during his time with the storied franchise. His combination of size, strength and skill made him an incredibly difficult cover in the painted area.

O’Neal led the NBA in field-goal percentage in six of his eight seasons as a Laker. He also averaged 21-plus points per game in every season with the team and 26-plus points per game in seven of his eight seasons with L.A.

But for as phenomenal an offensive player as O’Neal was, he was capable of making an impact on the other end of the floor as well. O’Neal earned three All-Defensive nods throughout his tenure and even finished second in the league’s Defensive Player of the Year race one season.

O’Neal’s former teammate, Ron Harper, took to X to defend O’Neal from a claim that he was a worse defender than Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.

The X post claiming O’Neal was a worse defender than Jokic features a video with highlights from Game 4 of the 2004 NBA Finals between the Lakers and Detroit Pistons, and O’Neal can be seen having some poor defensive possessions in the footage.

While the video doesn’t portray O’Neal’s defensive chops in a positive light, it would be a bit hasty to form any firm opinions about his defense based on that footage alone. Highlights from one game aren’t likely to tell the whole story of a 19-year career.

At this point in time, Jokic does not have the defensive accolades that O’Neal does. Jokic hasn’t received any sort of award for his play on the less glamorous end of the floor, as he’s never been named to an All-Defensive team or been in the running for the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Serbian big man has yet to prove that he’s a better defensive player than O’Neal was, but he’s still arguably the best player in the NBA today and a gifted all-around player.

Jokic just recently became the third player in NBA history to average a triple-double for a full season, as he put up 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game across 70 contests with Denver in the 2024-25 regular season.