Shaquille O’Neal gives Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan his All-Star endorsement

DeAndre Jordan, left, will have to rely on Western Conference coaches to pick him as a reserve for the Feb. 15 All-Star game in New York City/Photo by Associated Press

 

Chances are DeAndre Jordan will not be participating in his first All-Star game Feb. 15 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Jordan finished 12th among frontcourt players in fan balloting, which means his only chance would be to get picked by the coaches of the Western Conference; reserves will be announced Jan. 29.

But TNT studio analyst Shaquille O’Neal gave Jordan his personal endorsement Thursday night, saying Jordan should be selected as a reserve. Jordan was stoked to hear of it after the Clippers’ 123-84 demolition of Brooklyn on Thursday night at Staples Center.

“So he did get the hundred bucks I sent,” Jordan said, drawing laughter from reporters in the post-game news conference.

He got serious.

“It’s pretty humbling,” Jordan said. “To me, Shaq is the most dominant player ever to play the game. For him to even think of me in that light is pretty cool. Especially to have someone like him giving me some credit. It’s always nice to hear and it makes you work hard.”