Shaquille O'Neal continues to criticize Rudy Gobert.
O'Neal hosted former Heat teammate Udonis Haslem on his podcast “Big” this week, asking him what he would have done with Gobert in the locker room if the two were on the same team.
“What would I have done for him if he was on my team?” O'Neal asked Haslem.
After asking for clarification, Haslem said matter-of-factly that O'Neal was supposed to make a move on Gobert.
Still, O'Neal said it's a motivational tactic to galvanize his teammates into action.
“I know it sounds personal, but that's the motivation. That's it. It was just motivation,” O'Neill said.
Haslem asserted that O'Neal's tough love towards him was ultimately a blessing.
“Every day of my year, having someone like me there, expecting things from me, having great players that have expectations and trust in you, it helps you believe in yourself and it helps you have those same expectations of yourself,” Haslem said.
“You did that for me and it helped me thrive as a teammate. I knew you had high expectations of me and I didn't want to disappoint you.”
Gobert has been embroiled in a public feud with Warriors guard Draymond Green for years and has become one of the league's most polarizing players.
“When I made the comment about Rudy Gobert, people thought it was personal. Yeah, it's personal for a guy like David Robinson, who only made $116 million a year,” Shaq said. “Great player…Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. His highest salary was $3 million…Patrick Ewing made $112 million. Bill Russell made $100,000. Just play hard. You're making $250 million. Play hard. That's all I'm saying.”
O'Neal and Gobert, now the Timberwolves center, have been sniping at each other for years.
When Gobert signed a $205 million contract with the Jazz in 2021, O'Neal criticized Gobert's mediocre scoring production.
“No offense, but this should be an inspiration to all the kids out there,” O'Neal said at the time. “If you average 11 points in the NBA, you can make $200 million.
“He has a great agent and I'm happy for him and his family. The new rules are that when you have money, you have to spend it. I'm happy for him, but this is a moment for a lot of kids who think they can't make it.”
The following year, O'Neal opined that if Gobert, an elite defender, were to play against him, “he'd stick his skinny ass under the rim.”
“I would lock him in jail,” Gobert responded in an Instagram comment.
When Green put Gobert in a headlock last year, O'Neal defended the move.
“I don't like to be a hypocrite in this situation. I would have done the same thing,” O'Neal said at the time. “You have to protect your teammates.”
Earlier this month, Gobert responded to Coach O'Neal calling him the worst player of all time.
“It's sad that someone as accomplished as @SHAQ is in both sports and business is so moved by other people's finances and accomplishments. I understand the entertainment part, but unlike the rest of us, he doesn't need that to stay naive.” Gobert wrote to X..
