USA Today
Shaq Believes Kawhi Leonard is Not a Superstar
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Shaquille O'Neal has a very interesting perspective when it comes to who is a superstar in the NBA. According to Shaq, there are only four superstars in the NBA.
In a recent interview with Taylor Rooks, Shaq stated that he only believed there were four superstars in the NBA: Steph Curry, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kevin Durant.
When asked about Kawhi Leonard specifically, Shaq dodged the question a bit and asked Taylor, "I don't know, do you?" Taylor responded and said that there was a time she'd consider Kawhi a superstar, but for right now he's become just a star again - which Shaq indirectly agreed with.
What's interesting about this is that both of them are forgetting just how good Kawhi Leonard was prior to his injury. In the 2021 playoffs, Kawhi Leonard actually joined Shaq as the only player to average 30+ points a game on 60+ FG% in a playoff series since 2000. Kawhi was doing this on mid-range jump shots that were far further from the rim as well. In the entire 2021 playoffs, Kawhi Leonard was averaging 30.4 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.1 steals, on 57/39/88 shooting. This was through the course of 11 games and should be very easily considered superstar numbers - something both Shaquille O'Neal and Taylor Rooks seem to have forgotten.
Hopefully, when Kawhi Leonard returns this upcoming season, he'll have the chance to remind everyone just how good he actually is.
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