Subscribe
Follow Us
Throughout his NBA career with the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves, Rudy Gobert is a polarizing talent. On one hand, many fans have a lot of respect for the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. However, former Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal is disgusted that he could get into the Basketball Hall of Fame. To him, Gobert has no place there.
While their eras are different, O'Neal has called out Gobert for years because of his play style. In his opinion, the French center plays the game too softly for a seven-footer. He wants Gobert to play with more physicality on both ends of the floor. However, the Timberwolves' star has continued to come up short in the playoffs.
Ironically, the one game that Gobert dominated in during the 2025 postseason was the one where he took O'Neal's advice. The former All-Star led the Timberwolves to a series-clinching win against the Lakers in the first round. Other than that game, though, Gobert was a non-factor.
Because of his lackluster play, O'Neal does not want to share a spot in the Hall of Fame with Gobert. On Wednesday's episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, O'Neal went as far as to request that he be removed if Gobert is inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“If he gets in take me out,” O'Neal said about Gobert. “Go in there and just rip my jersey out. I f***ing hate Rudy Gobert. Because f—ing making 250(million dollars), he doesn’t deserve it. F**k that. I don’t care.”
O'Neal called out Gobert for failing to deliver on the large contracts he has received throughout his career. At 33 years old, the center has made $261 million, $31 million less than O'Neal earned as a player.
“As the President of the Big Man Alliance, you’re making big money, play like a f***ing big man, that’s it,” O'Neal said. “Play like a f***ing big man. Throw some bows, knock some people out. Don’t be letting little white dudes from Denver dunk on you and than talk s**t to you. Than you’re going to grab them by the neck at the last second. Come on bro.”
While O'Neal might be against it, Gobert's Hall of Fame case is tough to ignore. He has tied Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for the most DPOY wins ever. The former Jazz center has anchored the Timberwolves' defense over the last few seasons and has a chance to improve his resume, regardless of what former players think about him.
