NBA – Shaq sets the record straight (again) on his beef with Rudy Gobert: “Too sensitive”

Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif

Since the start of his career as an NBA analyst, Shaquille O’Neal has not stopped attacking the league’s stars, including Rudy Gobert. A habit he’s once again expressed himself on… with yet another reproach to boot.

If some of today’s stars complain about the treatment they receive from their elders, it’s partly because of him. Shaquille O’Neal has a tendency to be very demanding of his most prestigious successors… and to attack them when they don’t live up to his expectations. Just ask Rudy Gobert, a recurring victim of his sometimes scathing criticism in recent years.

Shaquille O’Neal justifies his relentlessness towards Gobert & Co.

Able to pay him a few compliments sprinkled with humor, O’Neal nonetheless most often refers to Gobert in a pejorative light. It’s enough to alienate the Frenchman and his fans, as well as all his other targets. And yet, his intentions are by no means bad. In fact, in his Big Podcast, he claims that he is simply trying to motivate his inner circle:

Shaquille O’Neal: I always try to make sure I stay in my field. And if I’m going to go over certain boundaries, I want the people I’m talking about to say, “Fuck Shaq f*” and deliver big performances. Because what people don’t understand is that in our business, there’s so much money these days. And I want the kids I’m aiming for to get their money’s worth!

I want them to benefit, because I’m one of the people who helped raise incomes and salaries. So when I tell a big man what to do, it’s for his own good. You’ll never hear me say, “Shai, do this.” I don’t meddle with backs or wingers, I only talk about big men. The Joker (Nikola Jokic), Zach Edey, Dwight (Howard)… I want those guys to succeed.

Supposedly concerned about the economic success of his successors in the league’s rackets, the Diesel would nevertheless come up against their sensitivity too great for his taste:

Shaquille O’Neal: I’m the lord supreme of all big men. You know I know what I’m talking about, you’ve seen me play. So when I talk down to you, in reality, I’m giving you advice. But a lot of these guys are too sensitive. They can’t even take it.

In other words, Shaq would simply be misunderstood, and his recommendations would backfire. Perhaps he should reconsider his methods and use a less incisive tone to make himself heard. Rudy wouldn’t mind.