Shaquille O’Neal is making the rounds on social media for calling Rudy Gobert the worst NBA player of all time, and Gobert recently responded to O’Neal’s comments on X.
Shaq was asked who the worst NBA player of all-time is.
His response: “Rudy Gobert… Ben Simmons is another bum.”
(via @Complex)pic.twitter.com/tn2APS1vAL
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) September 4, 2024
It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments. I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant. https://t.co/KPHs2VmfIb
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) September 5, 2024
O’Neal isn’t the only person affiliated with the NBA who has criticized Gobert recently. Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green ripped Gobert last month after he was benched in Canada’s quarterfinal game in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“France had a very interesting plot twist going on,” Green said. “Big Rudy Gobert said he had surgery on his finger or something. France’s coach said he thought the matchups was an issue. And so, Rudy didn’t start because of the matchups.
“We don’t know what’s true. I don’t think we have any reason to believe Rudy’s lying, except for the coach saying that it was for matchups. And in the three minutes that Rudy checked in, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] started getting off. Wemby (Victor Wembanyama) had a rough night. But, Coach said, ‘I can’t have both of my bigs not playing great.’ And well, you decide who got to go. I know who I’d pick, but I’ll leave it to you to pick.
“But to be taken out of the lineup on any other team in the Olympics as an NBA player not named Team USA is kind of crazy.”
Green also claimed that Gobert “sucks” on national television after the Timberwolves lost Game 2 of the 2024 Western Conference Finals to the Dallas Mavericks.
Fans: "Draymond sucks"
Draymond: "Rudy sucks, not me. What did I do?" 😂😂😂
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) May 25, 2024
While Gobert gets his fair share of ire directed at him, there debatably isn’t a more accomplished player on the defensive side of the ball in the NBA today.
Gobert has played in the NBA for 11 seasons and has earned seven All-Defensive nods during that time. Additionally, he has won a whopping four Defensive Player of the Year awards.
He won his most recent Defensive Player of the Year award for the 2023-24 campaign. He averaged 0.7 steals and 2.1 blocks per game for a Timberwolves that finished the regular season with the best defensive rating in the NBA.
Now that Gobert has four Defensive Player of the Year awards on his resume, he is in a tie with Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo for the most awards from any one player in the history of the league. Wallace and Mutombo are widely perceived as two of the best defensive players ever to play in the NBA.
Gobert will try to break a record and win his fifth Defensive Player of the Year award in the upcoming 2024-25 season, but he seemingly will have stiff competition for the hardware. Namely, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama stands out as an early contender to win next season’s iteration of the award.
As a rookie last season, Wembanyama averaged a league-high 3.6 blocks to go along with 1.2 steals per game, though the Spurs were still one of the worst teams in the NBA.
