Los Angeles Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal has never been afraid to criticize current NBA players, especially when it comes to big men.
Over the years, Shaq has notably gotten into spats with Dwight Howard and JaVale McGee for going over the top with his criticism. While O’Neal always keeps things light-hearted, it’s understandable why players would get upset when he is constantly going at them nonstop both on TV and social media.
And O’Neal’s latest target has been Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, the four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Many people feel Gobert didn’t deserve all of those awards or his Supermax contract, and Shaq appears to be one of them.
In a recent interview with Complex, O’Neal was asked for the worst players of all-time and named Gobert along with Ben Simmons:
Shaq named his pick for the Worst NBA Player of All Time… 😶 pic.twitter.com/tsEqJFl2qP
— Complex (@Complex) September 4, 2024
The point that Shaq was seemingly making is that those are two players with max contracts who have not lived up to it. He has thrown a lot of shade Gobert’s way though, and the Frenchman has finally had enough as he took to social media to respond:
It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments. I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant. https://t.co/KPHs2VmfIb
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) September 5, 2024
Shaq has never been one to shy away from controversy so it will be interesting to see if he responds or if he now lays off Gobert moving forward. The NBA season will be kicking off in a little over a month and O’Neal will be back on TNT for one final season.
Being arguably the most dominant big man of all time, O’Neal holds centers to a higher standard and ultimately just wants to get the best out of them. Perhaps there is some jealousy there that someone like Gobert is making more money than he did in his playing days, but Shaq is still doing OK for himself with all of his different business ventures off the court.
Shaquille O’Neal unimpressed with USA Basketball’s Olympic ruin
Shaquille O’Neal also recently shared some criticism for USA Basketball as although they brought home the gold medal at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, beating Rudy Gobert and France in the gold medal game, he was largely unimpressed with what he saw from the team.
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