Shaquille O’Neal will go down as one of the most dominating big men the NBA has ever seen. For that reason alone, O’Neal seems to have an issue with today’s big men getting a heavy payday for not even being dominant.
Appearing this week on All Things Covered, O’Neal took a shot at Rudy Gobert over the recent $205 million extensions he received from the Utah Jazz.
“I’m not gonna hate, but this should be an inspiration to all the little kids out there,” said O’Neal of Gobert’s extension. “You average 11 points in the NBA, you can get $200 million.
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“The silver lining is he is a great agent, and I’m happy for him and his family,” O’Neal added about Gobert. “With the new rules, you have a pot of money, and you have to spend that money. I’m happy for him, but this is a moment for a lot of kids who think they can’t make it.”
O’ Neal isn’t completely accurate about this. Over the past 3 seasons, Gobert has averaged over 15 points and 12 rebounds while playing DPOY-caliber defense. Offensively, Gobert isn’t nearly as a threat that O’Neal. Gobert is a great anchor that always makes the Jazz a bad matchup for serval teams in the Western Conference.
O’Neal might feel away because, for as dominant as he was back in the days, the most he has ever made in one season is $27 million compared to the $40 million Gobert is making this season. Inflation is a crazy thing.