The NBA may be at its peak offseason, but there are still notable names like Shaq making headlines. This time, it's former NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal with his harsh criticism of Minnesota Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert.
But now we have a response from the French basketball star.
Shaq calls out Rudy Gobert, Ben Simmons
In a recent interview clip that is making the rounds on social media, Shaq is asked who is the WOAT — the worst player of all time. Surprisingly, he names four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert first, then names Brooklyn Nets forward Ben Simmons second.
“Rudy Gobert [is the worst],” Shaquille O'Neal said. “Ben Simmons is another bum. No, because you know why? I'm gonna tell you why. If you sign a contract for 250 [million dollars], show me 250. There's a reason why I walk funny and I can't turn my neck and why I can't do it because I played for my 120 [million dollars]. So you got guys like him that f**k the system over. They make all this money and they can't f**king play, so I don't respect guys like that. Every time I make these comments, people think I'm hating, but these are facts. You've got teachers, you've got firemen, you've got doctors who have real jobs and don't get paid s**t.”
This comes just a few days after another clip surfaced of Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively and former Nets guard Theo Pinson speaking about Rudy Gobert, where they said he had no business being on the court during the postseason
Theo Pinson: “They played the Timberwolves there’s zero reason Rudy Gobert should’ve been on that court.”
Dereck Lively: “Zero”
Pinson: “But you’re paying him $40M, you better get your a** out there & figure it the f*ck out.”
Lively: “And he didn’t”
Rudy Gobert responds to Shaq
The clip made the rounds on social media, which drew the attention of many fans and NBA players alike. To many people's surprise, however, Rudy Gobert took to social media to respond to Shaq's comments. Gobert will usually not comment on situations like these, but clearly felt the need to defend himself in this situation.
“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,” the Timberwolves star said. “I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant.”
Gobert didn't mention anything about Lively or Pinson's comments, but that's all but likely a sign of respect so Shaq, who dominated the game before him.
Over his 11-year NBA career, Rudy Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, three-time NBA All-Star, four-time All-NBA team member, and seven-time All-Defensive Team member. In the years that he's won the Defensive Player of the year award, his teams have never been worse than second in defensive rating.
The Minnesota Timberwolves made a strong postseason run that included defeating the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, Minnesota's run ended in the Western Conference Finals at the hands of Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
With an improved Anthony Edwards and a retooled roster around Edwards, Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves are going to try and make another run at the NBA Championship in what's considered to be an open Western Conference race.
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