Hall of Fame center Shaquille O’Neal has become one of the more entertaining players-turned-broadcasters in the current media landscape, thanks in part to a flurry of harsh hot takes.
O’Neal’s perpetual criticism of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Minnesota Timberwolves big man has become legendary. Earlier this offseason, O’Neal called out the 7-foot-2 Frenchman as the NBA’s worst player at present.
Read more: Shaquille O’Neal Reveals His Pick for Worst NBA Player Right Now
To hear O’Neal tell it, that criticism stems in large part from Gobert’s performance in relation to his exorbitant contract, plus the boatload of assets Minnesota offloaded in order to acquire him and his current deal from the Utah Jazz in 2022.
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Gobert’s former Jazz running mate, now-Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, defended the three-time All-Star center during a recent appearance on future Hall of Fame combo forward Carmelo Anthony’s podcast “7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony & Kid Mero.”
“If anybody understands [what goes into succeeding in the context of an NBA game, which goes beyond pure stats or playoff success], it’s retired players,” Mitchell said. “But I think as a retired player, to judge it based on that, is unfair, ’cause you know what we’re going through. As a fan, do your thing… But for me, as [an] OG player… there’s more to it, and y’all know the ins and outs of it.”
Last spring, Gobert put up solid counting stats while helping guide the 56-26 Timberwolves to their first Western Conference Finals appearance in 20 years. Across 76 contests, the 32-year-old averaged 14.0 points on 66.1 percent field goal shooting and 63.8 percent foul line shooting, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.3 assists and 0.7 steals a night. Gobert was exposed in that Finals series by the Dallas Mavericks’ younger, more athletic big men Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. His limitations switching onto guards also made him a bit of a defensive liability, while his finite offensive game has always come under fire.
This summer, at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Gobert saw himself relegated to a fringe bench role behind fellow All-Defensive First Teamer Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs superstar guided their native Team France to a silver medal, while Gobert played spot reserve minutes due to his aforementioned limitations.
Read more: Stephen Curry, USA Basketball Survive Team France to Win 5th Straight Olympic Gold Medal
“It’s not Rudy’s fault though. It’s market value,” Anthony argued regarding his generous salary. “So you’re going off the market. Yeah, maybe a couple guys shouldn’t get paid those numbers that [are] out there. I’m sure these guys in the fraternity look at those, ‘Man he got?’ That’s natural. But come on, you can’t like the dude because he got [five years and $205 million].”
The Timberwolves recently doubled down on Gobert as their big man of the future in a pretty significant way. On Friday, Minnesota flipped four-time All-Star center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks in exchange for three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, veteran shooting guard/small forward Donte DiVincenzo, combo forward Keita Bates-Diop, plus a first round draft pick. New York is also offloading shooting guard DaQuan Jeffries and unspecified draft compensation to the Charlotte Hornets.
Read more: More Details Emerge on Why Knicks Made Blockbuster Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
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