Shaq is a huge fan of Ja Morant. On Thursday, O'Neal revealed that he sees a little bit of Los Angeles Lakers icon and former teammate Kobe Bryant in the Grizzlies superstar. This is some ultimate praise from one of the greatest centers of all time.

According to Shaq, what sets Morant apart is his “it” factor. The former Lakers big man explained why this is exactly the same quality he saw in Kobe many years ago (h/t NBA on TNT on Twitter):

“He has the ‘it' factor. He knows he's the best guy on the court,” Shaq said. “… I made this statement a couple of months ago that he reminds me of Kobe — and he does. ‘Cos Kobe had that ‘it' factor when I met him at 17 years old, he knows that, ‘I was the man.' He knew that one day he's going to be the greatest player ever. That's what I think about when I think about this cat right here.”

Related NewsArticle continues below
Malik Beasley playing basketball. Pistons logo in background.
Ranking 4 best Malik Beasley free-agency destinations if he leaves Pistons
Nike Ja 2 Tiffany, Nik eJa 2 release
Nike Ja 2 ‘Tiffany’ official release details

Shaq played alongside Kobe with the Lakers for several years and there's no denying that he's an authority when it comes to all things Black Mamba. For him to say that he sees Bryant in a young superstar in Morant speaks volumes of Ja's potential. Let's not forget that this young man is just 22.