The NBA may be at its peak this offseason, but there are still some notable names like Shaq making headlinesThis time it’s a 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 and Ben Simmons
In a recent interview that is making the rounds on social media, Shaq is asked who is the worst player of all time. Surprisingly, he first names Rudy Gobert, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and then Ben Simmons, the Brooklyn Nets forward.
“Rudy Gobert [is the worst]”, Shaquille O’Neal said. “Ben Simmons is another bum. No, because you know why? I’ll tell you why. If you sign a 250-dollar contract, [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 have guys like him who are fucking up the system. They’re making all this money and they can’t play, so I don’t respect guys like that. Every time I make those comments, people think I hate them, but it’s a fact. You have teachers, firefighters, doctors who have real jobs and they don’t get paid like shit.
This comes just days after another clip surfaced showing Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively and former Nets point guard Theo Pinson talking about Rudy Gobert, where they said he had no business being on the court during the playoffs.
Theo Pinson: “They played the Timberwolves, there’s no reason for Rudy Gobert to be on that field.”
Derek Lively: “Zero”
Pinson: “But you pay him $40 million, you better get moving and find a solution.”
Lively: “And he didn’t”
Rudy Gobert responds to Shaq
The video went viral on social media, catching the attention of many NBA fans and players. To the surprise of many, Rudy Gobert responded to Shaq’s comments on social media. Gobert doesn’t usually comment on these kinds of situations, but he clearly felt the need to defend himself in this situation.

“It’s sad to see someone who has accomplished as much as you @SHAQ, both in sports and business, still be influenced by another man’s finances and accomplishments,” The Timberwolves star said“I understand the entertainment aspect, but unlike others, you don’t need that kind of stuff to stay relevant.”
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Gobert didn’t mention anything about Lively or Pinson’s comments, but it’s likely a sign of respect for Shaq, who dominated the game before him.
During his 11-year NBA career, Rudy Gobert was a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a three-time All-Star, a four-time All-NBA Team member, and a seven-time All-Defensive Team member. In the years he won Defensive Player of the Year, his teams never finished worse than second in defensive rating.
The Minnesota Timberwolves had a great run in the playoffs, including a win over the reigning NBA champion Denver Nuggets. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s run ended in the Western Conference Finals against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.
With an improved Anthony Edwards and a revamped team around Edwards, Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, the Timberwolves will attempt to make another run at the NBA championship in what is considered a wide-open race in the Western Conference.