Shaquille O’Neal continues ‘big man’ beef with Rudy Gobert after Frenchman got posterized twice 

Shaquille O'Neal once again took a swipe towards the Minnesota Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert for his recent performance.

Shaquille O’Neal continues ‘big man’ beef with Rudy Gobert after Frenchman got posterized twice 

Shaquille O'Neal and Rudy Gobert

Shaquille O’Neal recently spoke bluntly about Rudy Gobert, the big man for the Minnesota Timberwolves. For years, O’Neal has never shied away from criticizing other players in the league. From Ben Simmons to Victor Wembanyama, everyone has caught flak from Shaq. This time around, it was the same, as he took to Instagram to troll the Frenchman for his defense.

The dispute between the two personalities has persisted for years, during which Shaquille O’Neal has frequently exchanged insults and been harshly critical of Rudy Gobert. He was one of the league’s most dominant players thanks to his illustrious career, and his viewpoint comes from a place of extensive experience.

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That said, Gobert recently played against the Denver Nuggets. However, he was dunked upon ‘twice’ with the dunk by Christian Braun being the most notable one. O’Neal could not contain his excitement as he took to Instagram to make fun of Gobert. Shaquille O’Neal wrote on Instagram, “Dunking on Gobert twice is diabolical.”

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Fans have witnessed Shaq making fun of today’s centers on numerous occasions. O’Neal has frequently asserted that centers from the 1990s and 2000s are more resilient than those from today. During his tenure in the league, O’Neal, in the meantime, was a dominant big man offensively. O’Neal is regarded by many as one of the top five centers in NBA history, something Gobert cannot claim.

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Not the FIRST time Shaquille O’Neal has trolled Rudy Gobert

One thing is clear: Rudy Gobert, who plays for the Minnesota Timberwolves, is disliked by Shaquille O’Neal. O’Neal is not the only NBA analyst who has been watching Gobert. The retired star said earlier this year on “The Big Podcast” that he has never been a fan of Gobert’s defensive prowess. Shaq even goes so far as to say that Gobert isn’t an NBA defensive star.

I never thought he was a great defensive player, either. See, what it is, is there’s not a lot of centers that are making him play defense. Like, he’s not doing that s— against [Nikola Jokić], because he has to be engaged. But when he’s going against another guy, he’s 7′ 6″, of course if you lay it up he’s going to block it.

On the Big Podcast, Shaquille O’Neal said
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Over the past two seasons, Gobert has averaged 13.7 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. This is while shooting 66% for the Timberwolves. It can’t be a coincidence that he has been named Defensive Player of the Year four times and still plays for his team in crucial league matches. Gobert will have to be at his flying best this 2024-25 NBA season to avoid any criticism from O’Neal and Co.