Shaquille O'Neal made headlines earlier this season when he seemed to take a shot at Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert as a max player.
O'Neal previously said youngsters could follow Gobert's model of defense and rebounding and make wads of cash after the “Stifle Tower” signed his lucrative extension with Utah this past winter. But he did so in a way that minimized Gobert's skill set, with Shaq pointing to Gobert's somewhat limited offensive game.
The Hall of Fame center admitted earlier this month on “The Rex Chapman Show” the comment was made in part because he is jealous of the modern financial landscape of the league and how the idea of what an elite “big man” represents has evolved over time:
“The reason why I bring up Rudy Gobert, people think I’m hating, it’s not,” Shaquille O'Neal said, via Alex Kennedy of Basketballnews.com. “He’s a good big man, but I’m used to dealing with great big men. When I was coming up in high school, I already knew I couldn’t compete with the Patrick Ewings and the [David] Robinsons, they were great and they weren’t even making that much money.”
Shaq again reiterated the notion young bigs might want to pattern their games after Gobert because a lot of money can be had in doing so:
“When I tell the story, people think, ‘Oh you’re just jealous!’ Yeah, I am jealous that he’s making $250 [million],” O'Neal said, via Kennedy. “Yeah, I’ll say I’m jealous. However, for this game of ours, it can motivate a young kid today… All these guys that are watching, this is what motivates them.”
Indeed, the game has changed quite a bit from Shaquille O'Neal's era. There is also the simple reality the NBA generates more revenue now–pandemic notwithstanding–than any other period in league history.
But Shaq shouldn't be overly upset. He did quite well for himself as a player and has made a good deal of money off a number of investments in the business world.
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