Shaq calls Rudy Gobert ‘worst NBA player of all time,’ Gobert calls take ‘sad’

The Rudy Gobert hate has gotten out of control.

Shaquille O’Neal is a proud member of the “get off my lawn” generation of older players who don’t like the way the NBA game has evolved, and he has been quick to hate on the game’s current best big men (he’s already started the stupid “Victor Wembanyama doesn’t play inside enough” BS). Shaq’s favorite target has long been Rudy Gobert, and this week, during a question-and-answer session through Complex (which his son posted), Shaq took it to another level:

When asked who the worst NBA player of all time is, Shaq said “Rudy Gobert” without hesitating.

“If you sign a contract for $250 million show me $250 million. There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck and why I can’t do it. Because I played for about $120 million. You got guys like him who f*** the system over. They’re making all this money and they can’t f****** play. So, I don’t respect guys like that.”

Gobert responded, essentially asking why Shaq gets so hung up on someone else’s money?

The Gobert hate — from Shaq, other players and some fans — is just tired.

Gobert is a deserving Hall of Fame player. Minnesota had the best defense in the NBA last season, does anyone think that’s the case if Karl-Anthony Towns is anchoring the paint instead of Gobert? He’s the best rim defender of a generation, and he’s more mobile and better on the perimeter than his critics like to admit. A lot is made of this playoff Luka Doncic game-winner over Gobert (and Doncic’s trash talk afterward) but Gobert forced Doncic to a shot he doesn’t prefer, a step back to the right, and give Doncic credit he hit it. Good offense beat good defense.

Doncic’s trash talk is a reminder of how much many of his peers just don’t like Gobert — but part of that hate is Gobert is a problem for them. There’s a reason Gobert had the best on-off differential (+5) of any player on the Timberwolves last regular season, and that continued into the playoffs when he was first or second on the team in differential in every round. Minnesota is just better with Gobert on the court, the Timberwolves problem in the Western Conference Finals was their defense cratered when he went to the bench.

Gobert is not an elite offensive player, but he’s got good hands and averaged 12.7 points a game on 65.5% shooting for his career, plus grabs 11.8 rebounds a game.

Gobert’s playoff issues are overstated. Can a five-out team put him — and the defense designed around him as a paint anchor — in trouble because it can pull him out to the perimeter? Yes. The Clippers did it to him when Gobert was in Utah, but Los Angeles coaches were quick to say the rest of the perimeter defenders there were so weak, the rotations so slow, that they could put Gobert in an impossible situation of having to either take away a layup at the rim or an open corner 3. There are times when coaches should match small with small. Maybe that bothers people, but it’s more about not liking the game’s evolution than Gobert.

Shaq and everyone else is entitled to their opinions, they don’t have to like Gobert. But worst player ever? That’s just a lazy “look at me” comment. Which I guess we should be used to from some quarters.