After joining the Miami Heat in 2004, Shaquille O’Neal decided to test the toughness of his new teammates on day one. He hurled insults and even made bold demands to intimidate them. However, Udonis Haslem remained unfazed. Strangely, this moment laid the foundation for their mutual respect.
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Shaq recounted this incident while hosting Haslem in the latest episode of The Big Podcast. He remembered demanding the then-franchise staple to grab rebounds for him. Shaq also cussed at UD to try to catch him off guard. His plan didn’t work out. Haslem stood his ground and shot back with a similar sharp jab.
The Miami native reminded Shaq whose city he was in and subtly advised him to stay in his lane. ‘The Diesel’ was impressed by Haslem’s toughness during the exchange. He understood he could count on UD whenever things got tough. Shaq reflected on this moment, saying,
“Every time I came to a new team, I tested and UD [Udonis Haslem] passed the test the first day… ‘So, UD get the rebound’. ‘Big fella, ain’t gonna be too many more’. Now I know he hard. Already know he with me…”
This relationship, built on mutual respect, played a crucial role during the Heat’s championship-winning campaign the following season. Both showcased their dominance under the rim, albeit in different ways. Shaq averaged 20 points per game as a lethal scorer for this team, while Haslem anchored the defense and grabbed 7.8 rebounds.
What Shaq did with Haslem became his go-to method for testing the mental fortitude of other NBA players. However, needling teammates to bring out their competitive fire is one thing but taking shots at players as an analyst is another thing altogether. This can often backfire and lead to misunderstandings, as it did between Shaq and Rudy Gobert.
‘Was only trying to help him’
Shaq has been on bad terms with Rudy Gobert for as long as NBA fans can remember. The reason? O’Neal’s constant attempts to overlook the Frenchman’s prowess and publicly criticize him for his shortcomings.
This tension reached a boiling point earlier this month. Shaq called Gobert out for not justifying his 5-year, $205 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He blamed the 4x DPOY for disrupting the team’s gameplay and system. These comments didn’t sit right with Gobert, who accused Shaq of being jealous of his earnings and achievements.
Shaq addressed this during his appearance on The OGs. He said Gobert had misunderstood his words, and that he only meant to fuel the competitive fire within the Timberwolves star and push him to set a higher benchmark for the next generation.
“They sensitive. First of all, if you getting 250 (million) now what is your renewal check going say?… 500 [million]… I’m trying to help you get it. When I speak I try to speak from facts… 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.”
