Phoenix Suns center Jusuf Nurkic embraced the “hack-a-Shaq” strategy employed against him in their recent win over the Houston Rockets.
Nurkic played a pivotal role for the Suns, tallying 16 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks despite facing intentional fouls from the Rockets.
Following the game, Nurkic humorously likened his free-throw struggles (8/16) to those of legendary center Shaquille O’Neal, stating, “I definitely was Shaq tonight,” as reported by Duane Rankin.
Despite his struggles from the charity stripe, Nurkic expressed a willingness for teams to continue utilizing the strategy against him in future games.
Throughout the current season, Nurkic has maintained solid averages of 11.9 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game for the Suns.
