Shaquille O'Neal drags Rudy Gobert's embarrassing Olympic moment while addressing their beef: "They fail the test"

Shaquille O'Neal is considered a modern NBA legend after dominating the 90s and early 2000s. Given his reputation, the four-time champion's words carry extra weight when criticizing present centers. One of the players he feels strongly about is Rudy Gobert.

The Lakers legend has not shied from roasting Gobert while dubbing him the "Worst of All Time." During a recent interview on The OGs podcast, Shaq further blazed 'The French Rejection' by recounting the time Gobert fell on the court and pulled himself under Joel Embiid's legs.

"(36:43) A lot of these big men fail when I put out these challenges. All the stuff I'm saying about Rudy, you right. You don't think I'm right? Look at this play right here. Why would somebody push you down, and you fall and grab their knees and put your head between their legs?

"You're the Defensive Player of the Year, but every scouting report I'm looking at, they're targeting you."

During his 11-year NBA career, Gobert, the four-time Defensive Player of the Year, has not impressed O'Neal once. The LSU standout questioned the 32-year-old's accolades by stating he's a liability on the court.

As part of the league's offensive evolution, opponents target centers who cannot defend in space. Shaq believes the Timberwolves' big man cannot contain the pick-and-roll or switch onto smaller players.

---

Shaquille O'Neal lays down his ulterior motive behind criticizing players

Some have wondered where O'Neal's stance regarding Rudy Gobert comes from. Jeff Teague and his co-hosts highlighted this during their Club 520 Podcast episode.

Speaking with The OGs' Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller, O'Neal explained the reasoning behind his criticism of Gobert.

"If you're making 250 million and playing up to par, what's your next check going to be? ... 500." I'm trying to help you get it. You know, when I speak, I try to speak from facts. ... I want you to protect this thing of ours. Because if you play well and get 500 million, there's a kid right now in high school that could be making 700 million."

Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal - Source: Imagn

Shaquille O'Neal sets a lofty standard for players who earn massive contracts. The former Lakers big man doesn't want future deals to be jeopardized by underperforming, overpaid centers. Shaq believes Gobert epitomizes all that is wrong with the NBA's current financial landscape.