"He's that good": Mad Dog Russo crowns Nikola Jokic the greatest center over Shaquille O'Neal

It is hard to argue against Shaquille O'Neal in a discussion involving the greatest center to play in the NBA. Shaq is often titled as the most dominant player in the league, even against NBA greats like Wilt Chamberlain. However, sports analysts like Mad Dog Russo seeking to change the narrative by adding Nikola Jokic to the picture.

In a discussion with Brian Windhorst, the NBA analyst on First Take said that Nikola Jokic is the greatest center in the league. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, David Robinson, Shaquille O'Neal and Hakeem Olajuwon are among the greatest centers on this list.

However, Chris Russo did not shy away from putting Jokic over every name that was mentioned above. He also added that Jokic was better than Shaquille O'Neal.

“Jokic might be, might be, at the end of the day, the greatest center in the history of the NBA…He’s that good. He’s better than Shaq. I’ll tell you that right now. Better than Shaq,” said Russo.

His remarks did raise eyebrows on the show itself, and in some ways, it makes sense. Shaq in his prime was an unstoppable force and arguably the most feared player in the league. He won four NBA titles and three NBA Finals MVP. He made the All-NBA team 14 times in his career and the All-NBA Defensive Team three times in his career.

In fairness to Jokic, he has played only nine seasons in the league compared to Shaq’s 19. He is a one-time NBA champion and an NBA Finals MVP. Jokic is also a two-time league MVP compared to Shaq's once. The Serbian NBA star has made the All-NBA team five times in his career.

Moreover, it is the style of play that Jokic brings to the court that is unprecedented and most impressive about his game. He is arguably the best passer in the league, not just at his position but overall.

Jokic’s game is more diverse than Shaq's. But to argue against Shaquille O'Neal is still a big leap.

Shaquille O'Neal doesn’t want Mad Dog Russo to talk about basketball

Recently, both Russo and Shaquille O'Neal have been in the news, especially after speaking about each other in the media. Pertaining to Shaq’s jersey being retired by the Orlando Magic, Russo said that the 2000 MVP didn’t have a career in Orlando worthy of jersey retirement.

A few days later, during an episode of his Big Podcast, Shaquille O'Neal shared the table with former NFL player Cam Newton. During the episode, Shaq remarked that people like Russo do not have “G-14” qualifications to speak about sports, a term Shaq has taken from the movie 'Rush Hour'.

“If you're great, like Shaq and Cam, we have G14 classification,” O’Neal said. “Because we've been there and done that at high levels, from high school to college and the pros,” Shaq remarked.

“Now, a lot of dudes who have no G-14 classification, like Mad Dog, what the f**k do you know about quarterbacking? So shut the f**k up, Mad Dog. Stick to traditional media. When it comes to sports, you don't know what you're talking about, I do,” added the LA Lakers legend.

Previously, Russo had ranked Shaquille O'Neal as the fifth-best center in the NBA history. He had ranked the LA Lakers legend behind Kareem, Moses Malone, Wilt Chamberlain and Hakeem Olajuwon. It is one of the reasons that Shaq might have taken it personally.