Shaq declares Gobert the WOAT: 'I don't respect guys like that'
Shaquille O'Neal doesn't think Rudy Gobert has lived up to the lucrative contract he signed four years ago.
O'Neal reignited his beef with Gobert during a conversation with son Myles O'Neal for Complex, naming the Minnesota Timberwolves center as the worst NBA player of all time.
"If you sign a contract for ($250 million), show me ($250 million). There's a reason why I walk funny, why I can't turn my neck ... because I played for my ($120 million)," the Hall of Fame big man said. "So you got guys like him that f--- the system over. They're making all this money, and they can't f---ing 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 got teachers, you got firemen, you got doctors who have real jobs and don't get paid shit."
Gobert responded to O'Neal's comments on social media later Thursday:
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. https://t.co/KPHs2VmfIb
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) September 5, 2024
O'Neal also threw shade at Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons, declaring him a "bum."
Gobert signed a five-year, $205-million extension with the Utah Jazz in December 2020, which at the time made him the highest-paid center in NBA history. O'Neal responded to the news by sharing an image on Instagram of him dunking on Gobert.
Gobert, who was traded to the Timberwolves in 2022, averaged 2.1 blocks and 9.2 defensive rebounds per game last season en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year for a record-tying fourth time.