Shaquille O’Neal has never held back when it comes to his long-standing beef with Rudy Gobert. Every chance he gets, Shaq has been vocal about his issues with the French center. But now, the Hall of Famer has revealed the true reason behind his criticism.
On a recent episode of his podcast, The Big Podcast, Shaq addressed the situation, explaining that it’s not a personal vendetta against Gobert, but rather his frustration with how much money today’s players make compared to legends of the game.
“When I made the comments about Rudy Gobert, people think it’s personal,” O’Neal said. “But yeah, it’s personal for guys like David Robinson, who only made $116 million in his career. Fabulous player, Hall of Famer. Kareem? The most he ever made was $3 million. Patrick Ewing? $112 million. Bill Russell? $100,000. Just play hard. You’re making $250 million. That’s all I’m saying.”
He continued, adding that while it may seem harsh, his intention is to motivate Gobert. “For example, with Rudy Gobert, y’all think it’s personal,” Shaq said. “I’m just trying to pump him up. But from the way he responds, I can tell there’s some truth in what I’m saying.”
Shaq predicts rough start for Lakers
During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, Shaq weighed in on how he thinks the Lakers will perform under the guidance of their new head coach, J.J. Redick. O’Neal didn’t sugarcoat his feelings, expressing concerns about Redick’s lack of coaching experience.
“I think they’re going to have a rough start, personally,” Shaq stated. “LeBron and AD will do a great job keeping everyone in check, but I’ve always said, if you truly respect your coach, you’ll go out and play hard for them.”
Shaq also reflected on his own career, highlighting the value of experienced coaches like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley. “I was fortunate to play for guys like Phil Jackson and Pat Riley—coaches who knew what they were doing,” he said. “No disrespect to other coaches, but there were times I’d think, ‘I don’t know if that’s going to work.'”
As for the Lakers, Shaq questioned whether the players will buy into Redick’s system right away. “When you get a coach like that, the antenna is already up. My question is: Will the players’ antennas be up when J.J. Redick talks? We don’t know yet, but we’ll see.”