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Luka Doncic Makes History: Are Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley and Co the Reason Behind 73-Point Bombshell?

Published 01/26/2024, 11:19 PM EST

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It was calm before the storm for Luka Doncic. 24 hours before sending the NBA World into a frenzy with his historic performance, Doncic visited the TNT studios. He stood tall and embraced the fun-loving vibe created by Shaquille O’Neal, Charles Barkley, and co. The TNT fellas entertained Luka with questions about the game while the Mavs superstar gushed about his daughter. But this light-hearted vibe was long gone the next day and one might wonder if this interaction had anything to do with Luka’s wrath.

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd sure thinks so. After Doncic’s 73-point performance, Coach Kidd hilariously speculated the motivation behind this mind-boggling run. Referring to Doncic’s visit to TNT Studios, he said, “Maybe going to see Chuck, Kenny, Shaq, and those guys got him inspired last night. Maybe we should see them a little bit more often!” 

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On Friday night, the Dallas Maverick outplayed the Atlanta Hawks, 148-143. Luka stood tall with the millions gawking at him. In the words of Hawks Star Trae Young, the opposition tried everything but the Slovenian juggernaut was an unstoppable force to reckon with. With a stat line that read 73 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, Luka smiled with pride and wiggled his way past defenders. His talent and class spoke words but that didn’t stop Coach Kidd from giving his former league mates some credit.

Watch this story: “After LeBron James complains about HOF, Sue Bird has an answer for the King”

Luke Doncic Visits Shaquille O’Neal And Charles Barkley at TNT Studios 

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Dressed in blue jeans, white shoes, and a blue sweater, Luka Doncic discussed his All-Star honor with the crew last night. He was embraced with high praise from a few of the NBA’s greatest athletes and shed light on the skills that helped him excel at the game. Luka also highlighted how the Mavs need to win a few more games.

USA Today via Reuters

He said, “I don’t really know how but I know we gotta win more games. I think we’re struggling a little bit.” Luka added, “We just gotta work and everything, take bigger steps every year.” Following this, TNT Host Ernie Johnson questioned the Slovenian guard about fatherhood.

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In the latter half of 2023, Luka and his fiance were blessed with a baby girl, Gabriella. Considering this, Johnson said, “How is your diaper-changing game?” to which Doncic said, “Oh it’s great!” Honestly, this isn’t a surprise, is it? Do you guys think visiting Shaq and co helped Doncic? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Shriya Rajachandra

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Shriya Rajachandra is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports. She earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Communicative English. Shriya previously interned at The New Indian Express, but her favorite journalist, Marcus Thompson motivated her to start writing about basketball.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth