The feud between legendary big man Shaquille O'Neal and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert got spicier on Thursday when the latter fired back at the "Diesel" for naming him the worst player in the NBA.
Shaq, a four-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, hasn't been shy in criticizing the batch of big men that came after him. From Dwight Howard to Rudy Gobert, there's been no shortage of targets for the Hall of Famer. The Frenchman, though, was in O'Neal's crosshairs on Wednesday when he told his son, Myles, on "GOAT Talk" that the "Stifle Tower" and Ben Simmons are the worst players in league history .
Gobert fired back
Although Gobert is a four-time winner of the Defensive Player of the Year award, he hasn't received the same respect previous winners have gotten. In fact, Gobert's defense has been the subject of much debate and criticism in recent years, with some arguing that he is overrated and doesn't deserve his accolades. Additionally, it doesn't help his cause when he's on a contract that pays him a staggering $205 million over five years.
One of Shaq's contentions was how he thought Rudy's play didn't match his paychecks.
"If you sign a contract for 250, show me 250," the 15-time All-Star stressed. "So you got guys like him that fu** the system over, making all this money, and they can't fu****g play. So I don't respect guys like that."
On Thursday, Rudy posted on X that it was disappointing to see someone as well-respected and established as O'Neal discuss his merits for staying relevant.
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Shaq urged Rudy to step his game up
In an interview with USA Today, Shaquille added more meat to his comments the other day, saying he wasn't speaking out of pocket but the whole truth. The former LSU star has never been shy about expressing his thoughts, going back to his playing days, which often got him into contentious spats with his most famous co-star, Kobe Bryant.
Even though he's long been retired, it doesn't mean he'll hold his tongue when something irks him.
"Rudy and Ben, show me what you got. People don't understand the things I'm saying now on TV; it's the same thing I said to my players as a leader. Young man, you getting paid 20 million. You ain't doing nothing. Step your game up," O'Neal said on USA Today.
While some may call out Shaq for "player hating," the 14-time All-NBA team member said he'll continue calling it as he sees it. And right now, he's not seeing any improvement from Gobert and Simmons.
"I'm not hating; I'm telling you the truth. If you don't like the truth, that's something you got to deal with. So now it's out there, it's viral. Show what you gonna do, Rudy and Ben. Shut me up," the legendary big man added.
The 2024-25 season will be another chance for the two to do what O'Neal has asked of them. Hopefully, the "Diesel" won't feel the need to call them out like this anymore.
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