Shaquille O'Neal is a big fan of Memphis Grizzlies star Ja Morant, so much so that he told the youngster he's the best player in the league today.

The Los Angeles Lakers icon made the revelation in the latest episode of NBA on TNT, adding that Morant couldn't believe it as well when he told him that. However, Shaq reaffirmed to Morant that he's not lying when he proclaimed he's the best in the NBA, adding that he saw the same traits of Penny Hardaway and Kobe Bryant in him.

“You should've seen this little kid's face when I said ‘Yo man, you're the best player in the league. He was like ‘huh?' and [I said] I'm not playing with you bro, you're the best–for real. I promise you're the best,” Shaq said of Morant. “Ja is good, Penny was like that, Kobe was like that. This kid, it will definitely be his league in a few years.”

Those are certainly high praise from Shaquille O'Neal, but it is certainly full of merits. After all, Ja Morant has simply taken the NBA by storm with his play this season, propelling the Grizzlies to one of the top teams in the West.

While the Grizzlies are a deep team with all the talents they have, Morant makes them even better and a legitimate playoff and title contender. It's easy to see why Shaq also saw shades of Kobe in Ja, especially since the youngster is really competitive and has the work ethic to succeed.

Morant has huge potential, and hopes are high he can live up to that. There are massive expectations on him, but if there's anyone capable of meeting those, it's no other than Morant.