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Rudy Gobert Fires Back at Shaquille O’Neal for Calling Him Worst NBA Player of All Time: ‘It Is Sad To See…’
Rudy Gobert took to social media to respond to Shaquille O'Neal's comments about him, and described it as a sad thing.
Rudy Gobert and Shaquille O'Neal's ongoing feud entered a new phase on Thursday. The four-time NBA champion recently made remarks about the Minnesota Timberwolves center on Complex's GOAT Talk podcast. Shaq called him the 'Worst NBA player of all time.' Now, Gobert has responded to the same saying that an icon like Shaq doesn't need to use such tactics to stay relevant.
After the comments caught Gobert's attention, he posted on X, "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."
On the podcast, son Myles O'Neal asked his dad who the all-time worst NBA player was. Gobert was Shaq's first response, which made Myles wonder, "What about Ben Simmons?" Shaq then called Ben Simmons "also a bum." Myles laughed and apologized to Gobert and Simmons, and then Shaq gave a justification.
If you sign a contract for [$250 million], show me you're 250," Shaq said. "There's a reason why I walk funny and why I can't turn my neck and why I can't do it because I played for my [$120 million]. So you got guys like him that f--- the system over and they're making all this money and they can't f---ing play. So I don't respect guys like that."
Considering all that Gobert has accomplished in his NBA career, O'Neal's perspective is intriguing. During his tenure with the Utah Jazz and Timberwolves, Gobert won four Defensive Player of the Year awards, was named an All-Star three times, and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive First Team seven times.
Gobert just finished a season with the Timberwolves in which he averaged 14.0 points and 12.9 rebounds. The only player in the league with a higher average than the Frenchman was Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings (13.7).
The Utah Jazz selected him in the 2013 NBA draft. Gobert also competes internationally for the French national team. He plays center and is 7 feet 1 inch (2.16 meters) tall with a wingspan of 7 feet 9 inches (2.36 meters) long. He's considered one of the all-time great defensive players.
In addition, Gobert led the NBA in blocks in the 2016–17 campaign and rebounds in the 2021–22 campaign. In 2017, Gobert was selected for the All-NBA Second Team, and in 2019, 2020, and 2021, he was named to the All-NBA Third Team.
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