There has been a lot of Rudy Gobert hate floating around this offseason after the Minnesota Timberwolves star added another DPOY award to his collection. Just when you thought it might be coming to an end, Shaq happened.
Shaq, Dereck Lively II, Theo Pinson, and Dwight Howard criticized Gobert in the past week. It's supposed to be the "dead" part of the summer, but apparently, Gobert's haters didn't get the memo.
In an interview with Complex, Shaq was asked who the worst NBA player of all time is. A long list of players comes to mind, and none are Gobert. Shaq doesn't think so, though. He quickly rattled off Gobert's name and threw Ben Simmons into the mix. Simmons is a far more acceptable answer, considering he's a former No. 1 pick who had sky-high expectations.
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
Is it surprising that Shaq said Gobert? No. The Hall-of-Famer is particularly sensitive about current NBA big men. It's as if he thinks complementing another player will take away from all he accomplished. He's even overly critical of Victor Wembanyama.
Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert claps back at Shaq in best possible way
Gobert isn't an active X (Twitter) user. On June 27, he retweeted a photo of him at France's media day before the 2024 Paris Olympics. His last actual tweet was a quote tweet on June 13. Shaq's bizarre claim brought Gobert back to X.
Gobert didn't belittle Shaq. Instead, he questioned why his accomplishments trigger the 52-year-old.
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's common for former NBA players to say the most bizarre things on podcasts and in interviews. You see it all of the time. Shaq is full of hot takes, but claiming Gobert is the worst player of all time is way too ludicrous.
Gobert's right. Shaq doesn't need to say anything for clicks or attention. He's one of the best centers of all time. Even non-basketball fans know who Shaq is. For whatever reason, he still decided to take a cheap shot at Gobert.
Good on Rudy for taking the high road! It will be sweet to look back on all of the hate he's received if (more like when) the Timberwolves win their first NBA title.