Remember the time when Shaquille O’Neal aimed the entire Sacramento Kings franchise dubbing them the ‘Sacramento Queens‘? Or when he challenged Kobe Bryant to a game of one-on-one years after their Lakers dynasty had crumbled? Shaq’s verbal jabs have spared no one from fellow Hall-of-Famers to upcoming stars. Now the basketball world is captivated by the ongoing feud between Rudy Gobert and the seven-footer. But while the former continues to fall short in Shaq’s eyes, another player has unexpectedly earned the big man’s respect.

In the recent episode of the ‘Big Podcast with Shaq‘, the 4x NBA champion revealed an incident from his first day at the Miami Heat in 2004. The seven-footer mainly emphasized his first one-on-one interaction with Udonis Haslem and how he was quite upfront in his attitude. “So every time I came to a new team, I tested and UD passed the test the first day,” said Shaq during the podcast. Big Diesel’s testing policy is now quite relevant in the NBA world after his feud with the Frenchman has come to light.

In a previous podcast with Udonis Haslem, the NBA MVP revealed that he often tests players by giving out certain opinions and criticism about them. If those players learn from those criticisms and start to work on their shortcomings then they have passed the test. However, if a player claps back and calls Shaq out for his opinions, then they fail according to the former Lakers Center’s standards.

The same was the case with Minnesota Timberwolves center, Rudy Gobert, as he had publicly called out Shaq on X. But Django was a totally different warrior. When Shaq had confronted him for the first time, the Heat power forward had spared no time in asserting his authority. “I’m a pseudo-psychologist. I gotta know who I’m dealing with, right? So, UD get rebound. Big fella, ain’t going to be too many more. Now, I know hard. He with me. Don’t forget where you at big fella… I’m from Miami. I was like, Okay. I know not to f**k with him. Let me go to the next player,” said Shaq during the podcast.

Shaquille O’Neal and Udonis Haslem’s relationship on the Miami Heat was a symbiotic one, defined by mutual respect, camaraderie, and a shared commitment to winning. Together, they formed a formidable duo that propelled the Heat to win the 2006 NBA titles. The numbers they put up even show how powerful they were. During the playoffs, Haslem averaged 8.6 PPG and 7.4 RPG. On the other hand, Shaq averaged 18.4 PPG and 9.8 RPG.

Ultimately, the question of whether Rudy Gobert will ever become good in Shaq’s eyes will take some time to be answered. However, one thing is certain: Udonis Haslem has earned the respect of one of the greatest players of all time. Moreover, Haslem has always been on the side of Big Aristotle in this whole feud and has also given advice to Gobert.

Udonis Haslem’s advice for Rudy Gobert on how to silence Shaquille O’Neal

The Miami Heat veteran, during an episode of ‘The OG’ podcast, had made it clear that he is taking the side of the seven-footer. However, even though the 44-year-old agreed with Shaq, he still offered a piece of advice for the Timberwolves player.

The former power forward emphasized that while individual accolades like Defensive Player of the Year awards are impressive, they pale in comparison to the collective achievement of winning a championship. “Win a championship and shut us the f— up,” said Haslem during the podcast. He also mentioned that he should work on his current skills and can easily achieve a championship when he has a player like Anthony Edwards by his side.

Gobert, who has yet to win an NBA championship, has faced increasing scrutiny from O’Neal in recent years. However, only time will tell if the 32-year-old will ever listen to these criticisms to work on himself.

Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.