Shaquille O'Neal believes Ja Morant deserves more MVP attention

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal recently gave Ja Morant props for his performances this season. While highlighting the manner in which Morant has risen to superstardom in the NBA, O'Neal said that the young Memphis Grizzlies star deserves MVP attention.

Ja Morant has garnered a lot of attention in the last few months. That's justified considering the tremendous brand of basketball the Memphis Grizzlies have been playing with him on the floor.

With a 30-13 record, the Grizzlies are tied for first place in the West with the Denver Nuggets. A huge reason for their success this season, much like the last, has been Morant's rise to stardom.

Many would agree that the Grizzlies star is one of the most entertaining players in the NBA right now. Pairing his skill, athleticism and flair with his loud and unabashed personality, Morant makes for an exciting and polarizing character. Needless to say, that makes him a personality that demands attention.

Memphis has seemingly adopted Morant's persona in many ways. While the Grizzlies' grint-and-grind has long since been their identity, Morant has almost ushered in a new era and brand for Memphis.

His influence on the team is hard to overlook. With the team on a roll in 2023, it's quite difficult to slight what Morant is doing to make the Grizzlies one of the most competitive teams in the West.

O'Neal became one of the many people who took note of Ja Morant's rise to prominence. O'Neal said that Morant deserved to be mentioned in the MVP conversation, considering his contributions to the team's winning efforts recently. He said:

"When you talk about how hard work pays off…wasn’t no high draft pick, wasn’t really talked about in high school, but the kid can flat out play."

O'Neal's comments on Morant certainly take a unique approach. Considering that Morant only started gaining popularity during his stint in college at Murray State, the guard wasn't spoken about till right before his arrival in the NBA.

Shaq did get one point wrong when saying Morant wasn't a high draft pick. As the second overall pick behind basketball phenom Zion Williamson, Morant did quite well for himself in the draft.

Having won the Rookie of the Year award as well, the Grizzlies certainly locked down a superstar in Morant.

Read: Fans go berserk as Ja Morant pulls off an emphatic dunk against Pacers

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Does Ja Morant deserve a place in the MVP conversation?

As mentioned earlier, Shaquille O'Neal isn't the first person to believe that Ja Morant deserves a place in the MVP conversation. Former NBA players such as Michael Beasley even went as far as to say that Morant would eventually be the best player in the NBA.

Previously, such claims for Morant came too much too soon, but the Grizzlies star is practically carving out his space in the discussion. Matching up with the likes of Nikola Jokic and Jayson Tatum, Morant has led his team to one of the best records in the NBA.

Going toe-to-toe with the Denver Nuggets in the West, the Grizzlies are a force to be reckoned with. With Morant leading the way, Memphis are undoubtedly a team to look out for in the playoffs.