The more calm and calculated Nikola Jokic remains on the court, the louder his brothers get off it. They’re not just in the stands for support—they’re there on high alert, ready to back their brother at the first sign of trouble. Whether it’s a bad call or a cheap shot, the Jokic brothers often go from spectators to enforcers in a flash. That fiery loyalty has brought them everything from viral moments to legal drama—and one of the wildest stories in that saga just resurfaced, with Shaquille O’Neal stepping in to play judge years later.

Let’s rewind to 2021. In a heated game between the Nuggets and the Miami Heat, Markieff Morris gave Jokic a hard foul and turned his back—only to be bulldozed from behind by the 3x MVP. The hit sent shockwaves through the league, and even more so through social media, where Jokic’s brothers immediately jumped into the fray.

Now, years later, the feud is still simmering. On a recent episode of The Big Podcast, the altercation was brought up again. Markieff Morris didn’t mince words: “It hit me from behind. I think it’s a cheap shot. I turn my back.” While Morris stands by his take that Jokic crossed the line, Shaq had other ideas—and just like in the old days, the Big Diesel wasn’t here to sugarcoat.

It eventually ignited a cross-country sibling rivalry between the Morris brothers and the Jokic brothers. The latter even had a Twitter account that called out the attack from behind and suggested they were ready to take it away from the basketball court. Let’s remind you that elder brothers of Nikola are Strahinja and Nemanja, and apart from basketball running in their veins, the former is a trained MMA star. So, the podcast co-host, Adam Lefkoe, suggested a boxing match to determine a winner. But Shaquille O’Neal had already decided who he was supporting.

Before revealing his prediction, the Lakers legend also took issue with the narrative against the Morris brothers.”But no, but they were trying to portray it like the Jokic brothers punked them. That’s how everybody was portrayed. Okay. That’s how everybody was portraying.” Markieff followed it up with a verdict of his own. “That’s that’s the social media. You know, they like social media. We don’t do the social media. We real life in front of your face with it.” So who would win in a potential boxing match? “I’m going with the Philly boys,” said Shaq.

Choosing sides with the Morris brothers over Nikola Jokic and his family. After O’Neal’s prediction, Markieff even claimed, “Knock s— out too… We do this on a regular.” To which the Big Aristotle had an excellent anecdote to prove his point. “I know who y’all are. Y’all beat up m——— for taking your mama out.”

Understanding the social media drama behind the Jokic and the Morris family feud

Even though Shaq gave his prediction, he will not work behind the scenes to get this match set up. Since he has a lot of connections, which has led to his $500 million net worth, his co-host, Lefkoe, thought O’Neal wouldn’t mind arranging a fight. After all, last year, he was ready to lock horns with NFL icon Rob Gronkowski. And who can forget his constant mocking of Dwight Howard before resolving the beef? But this time, he doesn’t want to be involved. “I’m not setting that up.”

Even though Shaquille O’Neal won’t set it up, the Morris brothers have laid down the challenge. So now let’s look back at the initial drama that transpired in real time. After the incident in the game, the Heat players did not attend the press conference to support Morris. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic made his stance clear. “It’s a stupid play. I feel bad. I’m not supposed to react that way.” However, he didn’t hesitate to call out Markieff for his hard foul and argued that the shove was meant for his protection.

After the altercation, Marcus Morris Jr., Markieff’s twin, was very vocal on X. “Waited till bro turned his back smh. NOTED.” You can already predict what this led to. Immediately, a tweet from the (@JokicBrothers) account, which is currently deleted, had a response of its own. “You should leave this the way it is instead of publicly threatening our brother! Your brother made a dirty play first. If you want to make a step further be sure we will be waiting for you!! Jokic Brothers..” 

Which is why it grabbed headlines back then and continues to do so even today. Markieff, too, isn’t letting anyone forget that it was a cheap shot that Joker took. Back in September 2023, he said, “Sucker shot. That’s what we call it in my hood … Took a sucker shot.” Will this beef truly end? Well, Shaquille O’Neal doesn’t want to set it up, so someone else will have to.