Shaq: Philly Deserves A Championship And It's 'All On Okafor's Shoulders'
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In 1992, Shaquille O'Neal scored 12 points and grabbed 18 rebounds in his NBA debut for the Orlando Magic, en route to a 1993 NBA Rookie of the Year award.
On Wednesday night, Jahlil Okafor netted 26 points is his NBA debut for the Philadelphia 76ers, the second most since Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's 29 in 1963.
Shaq would go on to win four NBA championships, three NBA Finals MVP's, and appear in 15 all-star games. The current NBA analyst for TNT is known as one of the most dominant big men to ever play.
So what does the Big Diesel think of Big Jah?
"I like the way he played last night," O'Neal told the 94WIP Josh Innes Show on Thursday. "He played like a true big man. He's got a lot of crafty moves down low. He looked pretty good."
Okafor---the Sixers' third overall pick---is just 19-years-old, but according to O'Neal, he is carrying the weight of the city on his shoulders.
"He's just gonna have to learn to get everybody going and get everybody playing on his level because the fans in Philly---you guys deserve a good team," O'Neal said. "You guys deserve a championship and it's all on his shoulders."
O'Neal discussed a multitude of topics on the Josh Innes Show, from Kobe Bryant to music and everything in between. He also called Innes the "coolest white dude in Philly." Seriously.
You can listen to the podcast below here.
