Shaquille O’Neal Defends Himself After Claiming Rudy Gobert Would Be A Walmart Employee If He Wasn’t Tall

Shaquille O’Neal has a long history of beefing with NBA stars, especially centers. He’s gotten into spats with JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, poking fun at their on-court fluffs on Shaqtin-A-Fool and downplaying their ability on talk shows, podcasts and social media. His latest target is Rudy Gobert, but his attempt at ridiculing the center did not go over well with fans.

The Hall of Famer shared an image on his Instagram stories that claimed Gobert would’ve been a Walmart employee if he wasn’t 7-foot-1. O’Neal seemingly received a lot of flak for the joke as he was forced to explain that he did not mean any malice when he shared the post.

Shaq on IG: pic.twitter.com/nXUKw8pf1X

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 27, 2024

On The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time NBA champion said,

“Let me tell you my method with social media okay? 60% to make you laugh by me stealing a clip, whatever. 30% to inspire you, hit you with a quote, hit you with a story. And 10% selling stuff… Why everytime somebody does something, and I get it, and post it on my story, you think it’s me? I’m not f**king with Rudy Gobert!”

O’Neal’s claim that he wasn’t taking a jibe at Gobert’s ability but only shared the post because he found it funny would have been a viable defense if he didn’t have a history of making spiteful remarks about the Timberwolves star.

Why does Shaq not like Gobert?

The Lakers icon has never been a big fan of Gobert’s game. However, his resentment towards the Frenchman seemingly stems from his career earnings.

O’Neal earned around $292 million in salary during his incredible Hall of Fame career. However, Gobert will surpass that mark before his current deal expires in 2026 and will likely sign another massive contract that will take his career earnings past the $400 million mark at least if not $500 million.

The Timberwolves star is a defensive juggernaut but isn’t as skilled offensively. His career-high for points in a season is a meager 15.9 per game. On the contrary, O’Neal’s scoring average did not dip below 17 until his 16th season in the league. The Hall of Famer is upset that a player far from his level will usurp his career earnings in only 12 years.

He made this clear on an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq by claiming that he’d be as impactful on the offensive end today as Gobert if he was 10 years younger. He said,

“If I were 42, I’d be making Rudy Gobert money. 12 points and 8 rebounds? I could do that sh*t right now… Making $250 million, goddamn. Averaging 12 points!”

When O’Neal retired from the NBA in 2011, he was the highest-paid player in history. However, stars today are signing five-year deals that would pay them more than the Hall of Famer earned in 19 years, which is hard for him to digest.

It’s especially difficult for him to comprehend that Gobert, a terrific player in his own right but lightyears below O’Neal’s level, is making more money than he did. His jealousy often manifests as jibes and jokes, which sometimes border on being disrespectful, forcing the Hall of Famer to backtrack.