Shaquille O’Neal has long singled out Rudy Gobert as a favorite target for criticism, but his latest comments were enough to draw a response from Gobert himself.
Shaq appeared on Complex’s podcast with his son and was asked to choose the worst NBA player of all time. He immediately cited Gobert and went on to suggest that the Minnesota Timberwolves center’s massive contract was a big part of why.
“If you sign a contract for 250, show me 250,” O’Neal said. “There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck and why I can’t do it, because I played for my 120. So you got guys like him that f— the system over there making all this money and they can’t f—ing play. So I don’t respect guys like that.”
Gobert took notice of the interview and the quote and issued his own response on X.