Recently, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal doubled down on his disdain for Rudy Gobert as a player. In an interview for Complex’s GOAT Talk podcast, Shaq’s son, Myles O’Neal, asked him to name the worst NBA player of all time to which O’Neal answered “Rudy Gobert.”

He said so without hesitation, and it echoes many in the league’s sentiments. Who could forget Draymond Green’s choke on Gobert last season? Was it a moment of indiscretion? Sure. But it was also a physical manifestation of how many in the league view Gobert.

Players in the NBA don’t possess respect for Gobert’s skills as Shaq mentioned. Hell, as much of a lover of defense as I am, I have to agree, he lacks a lot of other skills. On the offensive end, it seems that he often doesn’t have any moves to go to. He looks confused when the ball gets dumped down to him, and it clogs the flow of the offense. On many occasions, when they go to him in the post, the possession ends in a miss or turnover. Gobert’s saving grace is that he is a rim protector. He can quell scoring, but on the other end, it’s pedestrian production.

In a league where “bigs” are beginning to score at a high clip again, there’s more value in having offensive weapons from every position on the court. If your team has a big with offensive limitations, chances are that the other players on the floor can shoot the three. That’s where presumably Gobert’s squad, the Timberwolves, will hang their hat.

What resonates with me most though was Shaq’s latter point: “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]. You got guys like him that f**k the system over there making all this money and they can’t f**king play. I don’t respect guys like that.”

He added, “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**t.”

The NBA and its players are making the most money ever. A lot of it is built on the backs of the stars of yesteryear. And it’s those stars who tended to cultivate strong fundamental skills that they see premier paid players of today lacking.

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

As Shaq alludes to why he walks funny, for instance, it’s an ode to his play. He was one of the most physical players to ever play the game. He took a beating on both ends of the court. But he did so while averaging over 20 points for a career. He did so by becoming a three-time NBA Finals MVP and a four-time champion. So, when he sees a man who has seemingly struggled to make layups consistently sign lucrative contracts, it makes him sick. I would be too.

Not to mention, Gobert’s lack of an offensive arsenal also lends itself to players and fans believing that he’s soft. They don’t see any aggression from him that invigorates his team offensively. So many players past and present dismiss the totality of his skills. It’s why people have continued to roll their eyes at him winning Defensive Player of The Year so many times. They don’t see him as dynamic of a force as the voters have let on.

Gobert sees things differently. Dismissive of Shaq’s critique, he chose to express that Shaq was essentially hating on the type of money he earns today. But he’s doing so out of context. Shaq’s critique is that he is making exponentially more than he did while being severely less talented. And to him, that doesn’t add up. And I think the Diesel has a point.

I love watching the Timberwolves play until they dump it down to Gobert. That’s when things get weird. It takes me out of the flow as a viewer, so I can only imagine what it does for his teammates. Nevertheless, he’ll always have his fair share of suitors, but I wonder if he ends this season, with the same team he’ll begin it with. If the Wolves are to do any significant howling this postseason, it might be without the big Frenchman.

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