Of all the fun and interesting nicknames people have pinned on our man Shaq over the years, one of our favs has always been “Shaqstrodamus.” Don’t know that one? Well, it’s a combo of the big man’s name and that uber-famous predictions guy from hundreds of years ago… Nostradamus. Google it if you have to.
Anyway, seems Shaqstrodamus put out a few predictions way back at the beginning of the NBA season, and our friends at the Fadeawayworld.com sports website have dug them up and brought them back to the light. And yikes! The big man was spot-on… again.
As of this posting this week, the NBA season is getting ready for the last chapter of what’s been another great season – the NBA Finals. But, if you dial the WayBack Machine back to October, when things were just getting started, O’Neal was putting out some predictions for the coming season. How’d he do? Well, let’s put it this way. You could have made some nice bank on betting along with his predictions.
So far, O’Neal is two for three, prediction-wise. One more is yet to be decided. What were they? Shaq’s choice for Rookie of the year: San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama. O’Neal’s call for Association Most Valuable Player for the year: Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic. Check and double-check.
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
What’s the one prediction still waiting for an outcome: NBA Finals Champ: the Dallas Mavericks. Like we said, that’s still to be decided… but the Mavs are in the Finals, along with the Boston Celtics, so here we are.
How about those calls? Even though the Spurs kinda sucked this year, Wemby had one of the great rookie seasons in NBA history. He averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. He shot 46.0% from the field and 32.5% from beyond the arc. Still, without a lot of help, the Spurs finished with the second-worst record in the West. But hey, that’s got to make for more good draft picks for Pops and the team this off-season, right?
Meanwhile in Denver, the man they call Joker captured his third MVP award this season, cementing his spot as outright one of the best in the game. For the season, Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game, while also contributing 1.4 steals and 0.9 blocks. Shooting: 48.3% from the field and 35.9% from three-point range. That led to Denver finishing with the second-best record in the West.
Not every one of Shaq’s calls played out, however. The big man predicted Ben Simmons would win the Most Improved Player award. Which was kinda weird, if you think about it… since Shaq has dogged on Simmons on and off for a while now. That particular prediction did not come to pass, mostly due to Simmons’ ongoing injury issues. He played in only 15 games this season.
With the pairing of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Dallas Mavs now have the chance to make Shaq look even better, prediction-wise. This is Dallas’ first trip back to the NBA Finals since 2011. Will Shaqstrodamus complete the trifecta? We’re about to find out!