Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert did not appreciate being called Shaquille O’Neal’s “W.O.A.T.,” or worst player of all time, during an interview with his son, Myles O’Neal, for Complex.
And he spoke his mind about it.
O’Neal was asked who his W.O.A.T. NBA player was, and he was quick to respond with Gobert.
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Shaquille O’Neal on the TNT NBA Tip-Off broadcasts live before the game on Oct. 24, 2023 at the Ball Arena in Denver. (Jamie Schwaberow/NBAE via Getty Images)
Myles asked if Gobert was “worse than Ben Simmons,” leading his father to another quick response.
“Ben Simmons is another bum,” O’Neal said. “You know why? I’m going to tell you why. If you sign a contract for $250 [million], show me 250. There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck because I played for my [$120 million].
“You got guys like him that f— the system over there. They’re making all this money and they can’t f—ing play. I don’t respect guys like that. Like, every time I make these comments, people think I’m hating.
“But these are facts. You got teachers, you got firemen, you got doctors who have real jobs and don’t get paid s—.”
Gobert went on X to fire back at O’Neal.
“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,” Gobert wrote. “I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant.”
Rudy Gobert, #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves, reacts during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets in Game Four of the Western Conference Second Round Playoffs at Target Center on May 12, 2024 in Minneapolis. (David Berding/Getty Images)
Gobert’s contract with the T-Wolves is $205 million over five years, a deal he signed in December 2020 while still a member of the Utah Jazz, and all of it is guaranteed money.
Gobert was a three-time Defensive Player of the Year leading up to that contract, and he won the award again last season after averaging 2.1 blocks and 9.2 defensive rebounds per game for Minnesota.
However, this is not the first time O’Neal ripped Gobert, and he has brought up “Rudy Gobert money” in the past, saying he would be making it now.
“Twelve points and eight rebounds? I could do that s— right now,” O’Neal said on his “The Big Podcast” back in March.
O’Neal is not the only person who has criticized Gobert in the NBA, telling ESPN back in April that he has come to peace with being someone who is hated in the league.
Shaquille O’Neal, left, called Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert his worst NBA player of all-time. (Getty Images)
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“It’s important to be able to have peace when you’re by yourself, when you don’t have music, when you don’t have any noise. I think that’s inner peace. I think once you have inner peace, then you have peace almost anywhere.”
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