Shaquille O'neal Makes Bold 2024 NBA Champions Prediction

With less than a week until the beginning of the 2023/24 NBA season, people are starting to make predictions. NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has joined in with a very audacious prediction, citing that the Dallas Mavericks will win the NBA Championship.

The NBA 2K official Instagram page posted a video with Shaq alongside current stars Josh Giddey and Victor Wembanyama making predictions ahead of the upcoming season. The predictions included who they think will win the Defensive Player of the Year award, the Most Valuable Player award, and so on.

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Most Improved Player


The Most Improved Player award is probably the hardest of all awards to predict. It is given to whichever player has the biggest jump in production from the previous season. This means you will not see stars win the award on multiple occasions, as it is normally regarded for role players stepping up to star status.

O'Neal has predicted that Nets star Ben Simmons will win the award. He is an unusual nominee as a former All-star and All-NBA Third team member would not normally be in the running for this particular award. But after a rough end to his time in Philadelphia, Simmons ended up missing an entire season before joining the Nets, and last season, in his return, he averaged career lows in points (6.9), rebounds (6.3), and assists (6.1).

With Simmons set to be a leader on the court for this new-look Brooklyn Nets team alongside Mikal Bridges, we may see Simmons used more often than we are used to seeing, with him known for being the second fiddle to reigning MVP Joel Embiid throughout his tenure in Philly. His preseason form has also shown a new aggressive side on offense, which has not been seen in Ben for several years, if ever in the NBA.



For this prediction, Wembanyama chose Cade Cunningham, who, according to sports books, is currently the second favorite behind Simmons' teammate Mikal Bridges. Josh Giddey picked Mavericks Guard Josh Green, who is backed at 50/1.

The NBA Most Improved Player award race looks wide open to begin the season, with Mikal Bridges opening as the +800 favorite.

Do you have a dark horse candidate for the award? 🤔

Odds presented by @PointsBetCanada. pic.twitter.com/URGDUMozdu— Covers (@Covers) October 18, 2023

Rookie of The Year

Playing as a center for his whole career, I think it is no surprise that Shaq has a soft spot for "Big Men" in the NBA and has chosen the Spurs rookie Victor Wembenyama to win the award. This is not a very surprising choice as almost every person on the planet is choosing Victor to win this award, himself included.

There is a lot of hype surrounding the French player as he has been hailed as a generational talent and the greatest draft prospect since LeBron James. He also played last season in the French professional league, and his experience playing against fully grown men, in comparison to collegiate athletes, may prove to be beneficial in his transition from Europe to the NBA.


Giddey selected his Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Chet Holmgren to win the award over Wembanyama. Despite being drafted in 2022, Holmgren remains eligible for this award as he missed the whole of last season with an injury, and this year will see him play his first NBA minutes.

Updated odds to win the NBA Rookie of the Year. Victor Wembanyama is still trading at plus money... for now. pic.twitter.com/mpynwITuyq— Jon Metler (@JonMetler) October 15, 2023

Most Valuable Player

O'Neal and Wembanyama shared the same opinion once more as they each selected 2-time MVP Nikola Jokic to claim his 3rd award in 4 years.

Jokic is coming off of his first NBA championship win last season, and with that, every team will be gunning for him and the Nuggets. Jokic will need to step up in order to pursue a championship repeat, which has not been done since the Warriors won back-to-back Larry O'Brien trophies in 2017 and 2018.

Jokic is touted by many as the best player on the planet right now, so it's no surprise that he would be in most conversations to win MVP this year again. He is currently the odds-on favorite to win MVP via sportsbooks.

Giddey once again selected from amongst his Thunder teammates and chose Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to win MVP this year. Shai shocked the world last season with his stellar performance, earning him All-NBA first team honors after averaging 4.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 31.4 points per game on a 51% field goal percentage.


NBA Champions

Shaq made a very audacious prediction with the Mavericks winning the NBA Championship. The Mavericks didn't even make the playoffs last season, and although they have made some roster adjustments by bringing in Grant Williams and Seth Curry, their star core remains the same.

The backcourt pairing of Doncic and Irving is definitely one of the most lethal offensive duos in the NBA. However, what they have on offense, they lack defensively. With the majority of other Western teams improving their rosters this season, it will be even tougher to make the playoffs.

Perhaps Shaq is banking on a potential trade happening before the season ends, as the Mavericks have been active in trade rumors for stars such as Klay Thompson and James Harden. But as the roster is presently constructed, they look way off championship contention. Their preseason performances back up this claim, and sportsbooks tend to agree, placing them with just the 8th-best odds to win this season.


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