Shaquille O’Neal Mocks 7 Ft NBA All Star, Whose $205 Million Decision Wrote His Name in Basketball History Forever: “Why’d His A** Get Traded Then?”

Published 07/15/2022, 12:30 PM EDT

Shaquille O’Neal has established himself as a very likable media personality ever since hanging up his boots. The Diesel has had numerous memorable moments on TV talking about games and players. However, the former Los Angeles Lakers big man makes sure people know when he doesn’t appreciate something.

One of his most infamous beef has been with All-Star center Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz recently traded the French international to the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2020, Gobert signed a contract extension with the Utah Jazz worth $205 million over 5 years. It was the largest contract ever for a center.

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While speaking with Nischelle Turner and Anthony ‘Spice’ Adams on his podcast ‘The Big Podcast‘, Shaq demanded an apology from his fellow hosts. He explained his reason, “I talk all that stuff about Rudy Gobert and you’re talking about how good he was. Why’d his a** get traded then?”

This left Turner and Adams perplexed, and she started arguing that the Utah Jazz received a great haul in return for the big man. Adams mentioned the fact that even O’Neal got traded multiple times in his career. Shaq fumed, “Not in my prime! Not when I was the highest-paid player on the team. No, the hell I did not!”

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O’Neal has never been a big fan of 3-time Defensive Player of the Year. He said he knew the reason why the Jazz traded Gobert. “We’re paying this man all this money and he ain’t doing s**t, we gotta get him off the books. Cut it out!”, said O’Neal.

Shaquille O’Neal got annoyed with Nischelle Turner

Shaq told Turner and Adams that he had a chat with Rudy Gobert on Instagram once. He told Gobert, “Just play mean. You’re too nice”. O’Neal went on to explain that he does that on purpose. “I know how to motivate people to get to the highest level,” Shaq said.

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He gave an example of JaVale McGee and how his fortunes turned around after beefing with O’Neal. As the argument got more heated, Shaq made sure to tell them, “It’s never personal with me. If it ever gets personal with me, you’re gonna know about it.”

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O’Neal won’t let anyone forget about his views on Gobert. Meanwhile, the 3-time All-Star will be looking forward to training with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

What do you think about O’Neal’s comments on Gobert? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by:

Pragya is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Having completed Masters in Sports Management from the International Institute of Sports Management, Mumbai, he has been a passionate fan of the NBA since 2010. Pragya is a massive supporter of LeBron James and just wants to enjoy the twilight years of his Hall of Fame career.

Edited by:

Arunaditya Aima

Shaquille O’Neal Mocks 7 Ft NBA All Star, Whose $205 Million Decision Wrote His Name in Basketball History Forever: “Why’d His A** Get Traded Then?”

Shaquille O’Neal got annoyed with Nischelle Turner

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