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“Shaq Congratulations You 1000 Percent Will Be Wearing A Dress”: Richard Jefferson On Recent Rudy Gobert-‘Hall of Fame’ Debate

Samir Mehdi
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Richard Jefferson(L) and Shaquille O'Neal(R)

Richard Jefferson stamps Shaquille O’Neal’s inevitable destiny of wearing a dress to Rudy Gobert’s future Hall-of-Fame induction ceremony. The Shaq-Gobert feud has been brewing for years now with no end in sight. Clearly, the ‘Big Aristotle’ has seemingly personal grievances against the Frenchman.

“I f***ing hate Rudy Gobert,” said an irate O’Neal on his most recent ‘Big Podcast’ episode. Most of this hatred towards Rudy comes from his $205 million contract extension. The 4x champ believes Rudy doesn’t play hard enough to deserve such money.

In the same podcast episode, Shaq said, “If Rudy Gobert gets into the Hall of Fame, I’ll wear this dress to the mother****ing ceremony.” The picture he held up was of Charles Barkley in a dress from his infamous 2012 Weight Watchers advertisement.

Richard Jefferson on ‘Road Trippin’ chuckled at the notion that Rudy wouldn’t be in the Hall when he decides to hang up his sneakers for good. “It is a 99.8% chance he going to be a Hall of Famer based off of his Defensive Player of the Years. Like, there are people with less that have gotten in.”

Gobert’s resume is absolutely stacked. A 4x DPOY with 4 All-NBA selections while being All-Defense 8x puts him in the top 1% of ball players in league history. His career averages of 12.6 and 11.7 may be underwhelming but when 1x All-Star Bill Bradley makes the Hall, it’s safe to say Gobert’s legacy is cemented.

Given that Rudy’s almost certainly a HOFer, RJ pre-emptively congratulated Shaq on wearing a dress. “Shaq, congratulations. You 1000% will be wearing a dress. And I hope you’re not one of those that talk big and then all of a sudden don’t fulfil that promise.”

Shaq has complimented Rudy in the past but passive aggressively. Amid the 2025 Playoffs, he did give him props, saying, “I never thought I’d say these words that are about to come out of my mouth but Rudy Gobert is dominating.” He said this while faking having to puke.

While O’Neal’s repeated verbal assaults can be chalked up to ‘good ol’ fun’ given his comedic nature, it does seem personal at times. Rudy has responded to Shaq in the past as well.

“It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did Shaq both in sport and business be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments.” Safe to say there’s no hate lost between the two HOF worthy big-men.

About the author

Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi

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Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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