What would happen if four-time NBA champion Shaquille O’Neal and three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert played each other, especially if it was back when Shaq was in his prime?
The Utah Jazz big man is listed at 7-foot-1 and 245 pounds with a 7-foot-9 wingspan. Shaq, meanwhile, was listed at 7-foot-1 and 325 pounds (although he has said that it neared 400 at times) with a reported 7-foot-7 wingspan.
Over the last few years, O’Neal has taken plenty of cheap shots at Gobert, with the latest coming this week (see below).
Now, it’s gotten to a point where we might have to settle the score.
Y’all wanna settle this at AllStar weekend in Utah next year? 💰 https://t.co/yRx8BvXbei
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) May 10, 2022
The perfect person to weigh in on this was Dwyane Wade. Not only did Wade win a title with Shaq in 2006, but he often appears on TNT alongside O’Neal. He also recently purchased a minority stake in the Jazz franchise.
Wade suggested that Gobert and O’Neal settle their differences on the court at the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, which will be held at the Vivint Arena in Utah.
Hopefully, we see Gobert and O’Neal play each other in the weirdest one-on-one game of all time.
Even if both were in their prime, neither player ever had a jump shot, and neither player could ever dribble. O’Neal retired from professional basketball over ten years ago, and it’s hard to imagine he’s in the physical condition to compete against an All-Star caliber player.
It probably won’t happen, but we can hope it does! Until then, let’s take a look at the history of the drama between these two guys.