NEW YORK: French center Rudy Gobert, a four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, said Thursday he was sad his success "triggered" Shaquille O'Neal into calling him the NBA's all-time worst player.
The dispute began Wednesday afternoon when a video clip was posted on social media from an interview by four-time NBA champion O'Neal with Complex Networks where he is asked who is the NBA's worst all-time player.
"Rudy Gobert," replied 2000 NBA Most Valuable Player O'Neal, who added that Brooklyn Nets forward "Ben Simmons is another bum."
Gobert, a 32-year-old standout for the Minnesota Timberwolves the past two seasons after nine NBA campaigns with the Utah Jazz, won the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2018, 2019, 2021 and last season to match the all-time record. He led the NBA in blocked shots in 2017 and rebounds in 2022.
He responded to retired NBA legend O'Neal with a posting on X, formerly Twitter.
"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," Gobert wrote.
"I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don't need that stuff to stay relevant."
O'Neal explained that he did not think Gobert was delivering equal worth on the court for the salary he was being paid.
"If you sign a contract for 250 (million dollars), show me 250 (worth of effort)," O'Neal said in the video. "There's a reason why I walk funny, why I can't turn my neck and why I can't do it is because I played for my 120."
O'Neal said some players cheated the system because they make huge salaries but don't justify their contracts with performance on the court.
"I don't respect guys like that," O'Neal said. "People think I'm hating but these are the facts."
Simmons, a 28-year-old Australian, has struggled with injuries, playing only 15 games last season and fewer than 60 in each of the past four campaigns. --AFP