Once again, Shaquille O’Neal’s go-to guy came through in the clutch — just not in the way the Diesel probably expected. Shaq is back in the hot seat after taking yet another jab at Rudy Gobert, this time questioning the French center’s Hall of Fame credentials.

The Hall of Famer didn’t hold back, saying he doesn’t want to share Hall of Fame air with the four-time Defensive Player of the Year. In classic Shaq fashion, he even added a hilarious wager to emphasize his point.

But while Gobert caught the heat, Shaq once again threw support behind someone he believes does belong in the Hall: seven-time NBA champion Robert Horry. O’Neal has long argued that “Big Shot Bob” is one of the most clutch players in league history — a man responsible, in part, for Shaq’s own Lakers dynasty. He’s even publicly campaigned for Horry’s induction.

The numbers, though, aren’t in Horry’s favor. His Hall of Fame probability sits at a meager 0.0336 — ranking 227th overall. Detractors argue he was simply in the right place at the right time, benefitting from playing alongside legends like Tim Duncan, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Shaquille O’Neal himself.

But Horry recently weighed in on the debate during The Big Podcast, addressing Shaq’s passionate — and slightly controversial — remarks. Responding to a fan question on Big Shot Bob pod, Horry set the record straight on Shaq’s sentiments.

“I don’t think for first let’s get on, you know, Shaq ain’t jealous of anyone,” he told his podcast listeners/viewers as well as fan who felt that O’Neal is jealous of Gobert. “His career on and off the court has been better than most.”

Horry also defends Shaq’s unwavering stance on the Frenchman. “I think what he’s trying to say is because Rudy Gobert for all the accolades and the money that he’s gotten, a lot of us feel like is wasn’t deserved because if you get a Defensive Player of the Year and you can’t be on the floor during the playoffs, that’s a sign.”

He illustrated it differently from Shaq’s same old, “250 and no bag” statements. He refers to the 2024 Paris Olympics when the French team benched Gobert right after his fourth DPOY win. They won against the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander-led Canadian team without Gobert’s help. That moment also showed some differences within the French squad when Gobert claimed he was injured and his coach bluntly stated it was a tactical decision to bench him.

“You get Defensive Player of the Year and you can’t play for your own country, that’s a sign,” and bluntly said, “for the product that he is putting out there, the product is not worth the money he’s getting.”

But he only agrees with Shaq up to that point. Because he finally said, “I understand where Shaq’s coming from, but let’s be honest. He’s going to get in the Hall of Fame just for the fact that he’s won Defensive Players of the Year.”

Horry is reserving his opinion on Shaq’s wager though.

Shaquille O’Neal is not getting what he wants

The same list that ranked Robert Horry at 227 for Hall of Fame odds states Rudy Gobert has a 27.2 % chance to get in. Ben Wallace and Dikembe Mutombo are other 4x DPOY winners who got into the HoF. Which puts Gobert in a great position.

Once more, the criteria of this decision – just like the MVP criteria – is making Shaquille O’Neal lose sleep. He believes seven championships should earn his teammate a spot. O’Neal explicitly responded, “the answer is HMF YES, and yes I’m yelling,” to the question if Horry is HoF worthy in 2023. Initially, Horry humbly rejected Shaq’s appeal. A year later, he’s on the bandwagon.

However, Horry’s chances are lower than Gobert. Between both of them, he knows who’s going in first. Only Shaq is not accepting it.

O’Neal believes the Timberwolves’ center’s odds are so low, he declared, “If Rudy Gobert gets into the Hall of Fame, I’ll wear this dress to the motherf—- ceremony.” The dress was Charles Barkley’s famous crossdressing moment from a Weight Watchers commercial. As hilarious as the idea was, it got serious when he said, “If he gets in, take me out.” 

Shaq’s hater notoriety has made more people look deeper into Gobert’ HoF eligibility. And unfortunately for O’Neal, his favorite teammate is right.