With the 2023-24 NBA season officially getting underway on Tuesday night, basketball legend and analyst Shaquille O’Neal decided to break out a little Serbian while talking to Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic.
During a game break for the Nuggets/Los Angeles Lakers opening-night contest, O’Neal told Jokic “Volim te!” That means “I love you!” in Serbian, which is Jokic’s native language.
Jokic seemed genuinely touched with Shaq’s telling him that message in Serbian, and he replied with the same response, just in English.
It’s just so nice to have Inside the NBA back, as we’re ready for yet another season of shenanigans from O’Neal and the crew.
"Volim te!"
Shaq sharing love for Jokic in Serbian! 😂 pic.twitter.com/ipyCgoHN3i
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) October 25, 2023
That’s pretty cool. Hey, if you’re O’Neal, maybe you’ll expand your understanding of the Serbian language to greet Jokic with a new phrase or two the next time you talk.
If we start seeing Shaq pop up in Duolingo commercials, we’ll know which language he’s been studying up on for his broadcast work.
