Shaquille O’Neal and Rudy Gobert’s beef has seemingly no end in sight. The Hall of Famer reignited it during his appearance on Complex‘s GOAT Talk with his son Myles by claiming that three-time All-Star is the worst NBA player ever. He even called the Timberwolves star a “bum.“
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O’Neal’s jibe did not sit well with the Frenchman. He posted a strong response on X and claimed that the Lakers icon was using him to stay relevant. He wrote,
“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.”
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
It was only a matter of time before the Hall of Famer responded to Gobert’s take and he finally did on Udonis Haslem’s The OGs podcast. However, it wasn’t as fiery as most would’ve expected.
The Lakers said he is more relevant than ever and wasn’t calling out the Timberwolves center to create controversy. He claimed that he was trying to help the four-time Defensive Player of the Year realize that he has a responsibility to perform better to help the game grow. He said,
“His comments, ‘You’re trying to stay relevant’ I’ve got 15 commercials, the f**k you talking about…I want you to protect this thing of ours because if you play well and get $500 million, there’s a kid right now in high school that could be making $700 million. But if you keep playing like you’re playing and f**k the money up…then this thing of ours is ruined.”
Haslem concurred with O’Neal and claimed that in their primes, when stars were called out they’d respond on the court and not on social media or podcasts. The Hall of Famer added that the players’ mental fragility meant they were no longer inclined to prove their critics wrong with exceptional performance.
