Shaquille O'Neal is the latest NBA star to criticize Rudy Gobert for tearing up while discussing his All-Star snub with reporters. The Hall of Fame big man and Inside the NBA personality was asked at a charity event what he thought about Gobert's emotions, and took the opportunity to champion the need for artificial machismo that's grown increasingly retrograde in modern-day sports.
“There's no crying in basketball. Listen, you know, maybe he was sad he didn't make it, but it happens like that sometimes,” O'Neal told TMZ. “I remember when I made it 15 years in a row and the last year I didn't make it. I guess I wasn't good enough, but it's not something you cry about. Listen, we live in a tough sport. Guys like Draymond [Green], he knows what he's doing trying to get in Rudy's head. It's psychological.
“But there is no crying in basketball,” he continued. “Man up.”
O'Neal was echoing the sentiment expressed by Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green, who poked fun at Gobert's vulnerability on twitter, beginning a feud that culminated with the reigning Defensive Player of the Year mentioning Green's NSFW Snapchat gaffe in the summer of 2016.
Article Continues BelowO'Neal's assessment of Gobert's emotions is problematic all by itself, but especially considering the similar sensitivity he shown on national television a few years earlier. In 2013, the four-time champion shed a tear during an appearance on “Inside” after interacting with former on-court foe Patrick Ewing, who retired in 2002 after failing to win a ring.
“Man up,” Shaq. There's no crying in basketball.