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A Week After Giving Stephen Curry ‘Ultimate Respect’, Fans Adore Shaquille O’Neal Doubling Down on Admiration: “Hypes Steph at Every Opportunity”

Published 04/27/2023, 10:50 AM EDT

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The 2023 NBA playoff was lining up teams in a David vs Goliath setup, which could get over sooner than one could expect. However, the NBA postseason turned out to be quite different. The commencement of playoffs was equivalent to opening a Pandora’s box. Amongst the many nail-biting matchups, the Sacramento Kings facing the Golden State Warriors has been one of the most exciting series. So much so that after the Dubs’ recent victory, Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t resist sharing a few words of admiration for Stephen Curry.

Shaq has always been in awe of the Baby-Faced Assassin, and the latter’s recent achievement made him utter a few more words in admiration of the Warriors’ superstar.

Shaquille O’Neal praises Stephen Curry again

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The Sacramento Kings’ drubbing of the Warriors in the first two games of the series sent shockwaves around the NBA community. No one could believe that the defending champions were in for an early exit from the title race. However, Curry and Co turned it all around for themselves with a special performance from the Warriors no. 30 to lead the series 3-2. 

USA Today via Reuters

After winning the game on Wednesday night, Curry entered a rare league of legends. He scored 30 points in the playoffs for the 55th time, tying Shaq’s record. Both the NBA icons share the eighth place in the all-time list for most 30+point games in the playoffs. It was a new record for Chef Curry, and Shaq decided to praise the 35-year-old with some heartwarming words.

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In the recent episode of Inside The NBA, when co-host Ernie Johnson informed the Big Aristotle of Curry’s achievement, he responded with a lot of admiration for the Warriors Superstar.

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“As long as I’m next to the great Steph Curry, I’m happy,” said Shaq. It came a few days after the Lakers legend recently mentioned how he agreed with the assumption that Stephen Curry was a better player than him. The statement was met with a lot of positive comments from the fans, similar to his reaction to Curry’s historic 31-point game against the Sacramento Kings.

Fans react to Shaq’s comments on Curry’s new record

The Warriors came back from a 2-0 deficit to lead the series 3-2 and inching closer to round 2. Amidst all this, Curry casually dropped in 31 points for the 55th time in his career, garnering praises from everyone, including the man whose record he equaled, Shaquille O’Neal. The Big Man’s comments have been echoing throughout the NBA community as fans notice his consistent praise for the Chef.

Many Warriors fans came out to reciprocate the respect that the Big Man gave to their superstar.

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Others pointed out how despite Shaq’s attitude, he never misses out on giving credit to the legends of the game.

Watch This Story:  Did Michael Jordan Play in 1994? Was Shaquille ONeal the Last Player to Beat MJ in the NBA Playoffs?

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Written by:

Shankha Shuvra Das

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Shankha Shuvra Das is an NBA writer whose expertise lies in the intricacies of the league's business side. With a Master's Degree in Economics, he is well-equipped to analyze the complex commercial aspects of the world's third-richest sports league. As a writer at EssentiallySports, Shankha has demonstrated remarkable proficiency, particularly in his coverage of the FTX debacle that implicated several NBA stars.
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Edited by:

Aayush Kapoor