UPDATED 1/4, 12:58 p.m. ET: Shaq isn't letting off on Gobert, with the Hall of Famer dissing him yet again.
"I would had 45 pts 16 rebound ten missed free throws in three quarters," Shaq wrote on Instagram. "He woulda had 11 pts four rebounds and fouled out in 3 quarters."
Gobert subsequently quote-tweeted an account calling this "the most random beef ever," completely shooting down the idea. "If people wanna keep speaking negatively about me or keep discrediting what i do it’s on them and all that does is show who they are," he said. "I will always be happy for a brother beating the odds."
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Rudy Gobert was one of the NBA's stars to cash out this summer when he signed a five-year $205 million contract extension. For this type of money, Shaquille O’Neal expects more production from the Jazz big man.
During a recent appearance on the All Things Covered podcast, Shaq spoke about Gobert and his deal.
"I’m not gonna hate, but this should be an inspiration to all the little kids out there," Shaq said. "You average 11 points in the NBA, you can get 200 million."
In his prime, Shaq might have been the most dominant player the NBA had ever seen. Thus, he's highly opinionated as a broadcaster and has no qualms about voicing his stance on any player— including the French pro baller. In his career stretch, Gobert has averaged just 11.8 points per game and 11.0 rebounds. Yet, it's his defensive prowess that has likely earned him the big bucks. In his seven years in the NBA, Gobert has also earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was also named NBA All-Defense four-times along with being the league's blocks leader in 2017. Despite the awards, his skills and presence haven't translated to fans since he's had just one All-Star appearance.
Gobert wasn't the only player the Jazz laced either. Utah seemingly wants to solidify its playoff-contending core because it also gave star guard Donovan Mitchell a five-year max extension worth $195 million.
