Shaquille O'Neal: NBA 'Should Belong to' Tyrese Haliburton After Curry, Durant Retire

Some believe the next heir to the NBA throne is Giannis Antetokounmpo. Others see Nikola Jokic continuing to dominate. Some even believe Victor Wembanyama will be ready to put the crown on his head when the current stalwart veterans finally retire.

Shaquille O'Neal thinks otherwise. The Hall of Fame center said Tyrese Haliburton is his choice for the next big NBA superstar.

"He's not up there yet, but he's coming," O'Neal told James Boyd of The Athletic. "I wouldn't put him up there with Steph (Curry) and (Kevin Durant), but he's on the right path. (In) four or five years, when those guys are gone, the league should belong to him."

Haliburton made his second consecutive All-Star appearance and first start last weekend in Indianapolis. He finished with 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists and likely would have won MVP honors if he took as many shots as winner Damian Lillard.

It was a star-making weekend for the Pacers star, who is averaging a career-high 21.8 points and an NBA-high 11.7 assists per game this season.

Still, O'Neal anointing Haliburton as the next face of the league is a little bit of a surprise. He's not regularly mentioned in casual conversations with the likes of Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic, Joel Embiid, Jokic or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

That said, fans are starting to take notice. Haliburton was the leading vote-getter among all Eastern Conference backcourt players and even outpaced Curry in the total voting.