Shaq O’Neal changes his mind and praises center he previously named the worst player in the NBA

After a decorated career that included four NBA championships, an MVP award, and multiple Finals MVP honors, Shaquille O’Neal has become one of the most outspoken and respected voices in sports media. In that role, he often delivers sharp criticism of players—but in the case of one center, he’s had to walk back his comments and commend him for his recent play.

A few months ago, during an appearance on GOAT Talk, Shaq was asked who he thought was the worst player in the NBA, and he didn’t hesitate: “Rudy Gobert.” He immediately followed up by calling out a player from the Brooklyn Nets. “Ben Simmons is another bum,” he said.

“You know why? I’m going to tell you why. If you sign a contract for 250, show me 250,” O’Neal explained. “There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck, and why I can’t do certain things—’cause I played for my 120.”

And about Gobert and Simmons, he added: “You got guys that (expletive) the system over there making all this money and they can’t (expletive) play. So, I don’t respect guys like that. Every time I make these comments people think I’m hating, but these are facts.”

Shaq O’Neal now praises Rudy Gobert

In the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 103–96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night, Rudy Gobert was a key factor, putting up 27 points and 24 rebounds in 39 minutes on the floor. The dominant performance even earned praise from O’Neal, one of his harshest critics.

“I never thought I would say these words that are about to come out of my mouth. But Rudy Gobert is dominating,” Shaq said on TNT Sports, while pretending to gag, drawing laughs from his co-hosts.

“You’re 7’4”, you’re being aggressive — and now look: he’s scoring,” analyzed the Lakers legend. “So now he’s running the floor, and he’s like, ‘Ah, I’m involved. Give it back to me.’ He’s throwing it down for the two-hand dunk. And I hate to say it, Ernie, Kenny, Chuck… Rudy Gobert is dominating.”

Gobert highlights importance of win over Lakers

Interviewed after the game at Crypto.com Arena by TNT Sports, Rudy Gobert emphasized the significance of Minnesota’s victory. “This win feels great. You know, we had a season with a lot of ups and downs, and to come here and play the way we did tonight means a lot,” said the French center.

“I think we just have a bunch of guys that want to win,” Gobert said of the Timberwolves’ mindset. “We understand that one night it might be Naz (Reid), one night it might be me, Julius (Randle) — but we just want to win. All the things we went through throughout the season just prepared us for this moment.”