If you’re a regular reader of the ShaqFu Radio blog – and we know you are – you know that our man Shaq has been especially tough on two specific players currently under contract in the Association – Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert and Brooklyn Nets guard/forward Ben Simmons.
On two different podcasts this past week (as of this posting date), O’Neal talked about those two players, and why he’s been so tough on them over the past couple of seasons. One of those talks was on his own show, The Big Podcast With Shaquille O’Neal.
On his show, Shaq talked about how he wanted the current crop of big-money players to set a good example… to be sure they were worth the gigantic paychecks they’re getting, and to make sure the money keeps flowing to future superstar players. Shaq said he just wants to see Gobert play hard like the players who helped pave the way for the huge contracts in the NBA today.
O’Neal took some time to talk about really great players of the past who never made the big money like Gobert. “When I made the comments about Rudy Gobert, people think it’s personal. Yea, it’s personal for guys like David Robinson, who only made $116 million. Fabulous player, Hall of Famer. Kareem, 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.”
The BIG Podcast with SHAQ
While Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year award winner, Shaq says he still wants to “light a fire” under Gobert and others. Nothing personal, Shaq says. “For example, with Rudy Gobert, y’all think it’s personal. I’m just trying to pump him up but obviously with the way he responds, I can tell he sees that there’s some truth in what I’m saying.”
Gobert hasn’t been shy when it comes to pushing back. After O’Neal called him the “worst players in NBA history,” Gobert responded that O’Neal was “triggered by his finances and accomplishments,” adding that Shaq “doesn’t need that stuff to stay relevant.”
Meanwhile, Shaq also made an appearance on The OG’s Podcast with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller. Shaq: “First of all, I’m not triggered by your finances or your accomplishments. He used some of his air-time to respond to Gobert, saying, “If you’re talking about your accomplishments, those little trophies you got, that’s not enough when you’re making $250 million, young man, it’s not enough.”
When talking on the OG Podcast, Shaq talked about Simmons, calling him “sensitive.” “He came in with a lot of hype, played nobody. When he got exposed, we saw it, right? We saw it. When he didn’t want to shoot in Atlanta he kept passing the ball, and everybody was jumping on him. He got exposed.”
There have been other commentators – not just O’Neal – who have talked about Simmons style of play, dating back to the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals. Simmons had multiple open looks but refused due to his jump shot. It even went as far as costing the Philadelphia 76ers a shot at the Eastern Conference Finals. Simmons passed up an open dunk and swung the ball to a teammate. The confidence and swagger he had at LSU appeared nonexistent.
Since then, Simmons has dealt with a number of season-shortening injuries. Yet, before every season, Simmons posts a video or photos that goes viral about him shooting and being in top-tier basketball shape. This year’s NBA season starts soon. We’ll see if Simmons is in good playing shape or not!