Rudy Gobert has finally had enough. After months of relentless mockery and disrespect from both social media trolls and fellow NBA stars, the Defensive Player of the Year has reached his boiling point. And this time, he’s not staying silent. Gobert let loose, taking a direct shot at the always-outspoken Shaquille O’Neal, and you just know things are about to get ugly.

In a recent video uploaded by Complex, Shaq was asked to name the worst player in NBA history. Without hesitation, the Hall of Famer shot back with Gobert’s name, and for good measure, he threw in Ben Simmons as a close second. The clip went viral, spreading like wildfire, and of course, it didn’t take long for Gobert to stumble upon it. The audacity of it all—coming from a legend like Shaq—was enough to push Rudy over the edge. Now, the gloves are off, and it feels like this beef is just getting started.

Reacting to Shaq’s comment, Gobert took to social media and wrote on his X handle, “It is sad to see someone that has accomplished as much as you did @SHAQ both in sport and business still be triggered by another man’s finances and accomplishments. I get the entertainment part but unlike other folks, you don’t need that stuff to stay relevant.”

No, you’re not getting a point for guessing at whom Gobert hinted at by saying “other folks”. The Big Diesel even took a swipe at the Frenchman’s contract, accusing him of messing up the system. “If you sign a contract for 250 [million dollars], show me 250. There’s a reason why I walk funny, why I can’t turn my neck, and why I can’t do it, because I played for my 120. So you’ve got guys like him that **** the system over there making all of this money and they can’t ****ing play. So, I don’t respect guys like that. Every time I make these comments, people think I’m hating, but these are facts,”  Shaq said during the questionnaire session with the Complex. This was not an isolated event, as Shaq has a history of taking digs at the league’s big men, especially Rudy Gobert.

Shaquille O’Neal and his never-ending beef with Rudy Gobert

When asked about his mindset of criticizing the modern generation’s big men, Shaquille O’Neal always pointed out that he wanted to get under their skin. That would either elevate their game or expose their mental toughness. That’s why he announced Nikola Jokic, the vice president of his Big Man Alliance, after the Serbian proved himself in the league with MVPs and the championship.  But for Gobert, that has been far from the case.

During the NBA playoffs last season, we saw plenty of instances when Gobert was mocked on live television by analysts which even led to the Timberwolves boycotting Inside The NBA. While Shaq took a brief hiatus from his analyst work, he was back for the T’Wolves vs Mavs Western Conference Finals series. A video of Shaquille O’Neal shaking his head in disapproval of Gobert’s defending when Luka Doncic scored over him went viral.

During a recent episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, the 4-time NBA Champion explained we he hated Gobert. According to Shaq, Gobert cannot restrict a player like Jokic or Joel Embiid to 15 points. His blocking is against all the guys that are smaller than him. “He’s not doing that sh*t against Joker coz he’s got to be engaged. But when he’s going up against another guy, he’s 7’6″; of course, if you lay it up, he’s going to block it,” Shaq claimed. So after all that hating from the Big Aristotle, Rudy’s outburst looks pretty reasonable.