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Is Joel Embiid The New Rudy Gobert For Shaquille O'Neal?

Shandel Richardson

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O'Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal has taken aim at Rudy Gobert over the years for his inconsistent play.

It appears O'Neal has a new target, though.

He used Tuesday's TNT broadcast to throw shade at Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, who made his first appearance of the season. He created headlines during the preseason when he said he doesn't plan to play back-to-backs, drawing criticism from O'Neal.

After a slow start against the New York Knicks, Embiid was once again targeted by O'Neal.


“In New York, it’s a tough team to play,” O’Neal said at halftime. “But this was the fear I had for Joel Embiid. You announce arrogantly, I’m not playing back-to-backs. I’m not injured but I’m sore. I’ll come back when I want to come back."

Embiid finished with just 13 points on 2 of 11 shooting. It didn't sit well with O'Neal because he knows the talents of Embiid, a one-time MVP.

“Now, when you say things like that, you’re supposed to come back with extra energy," O'Neal said. "0-3, I would have been 0-15. But you know what y’all would have said. ‘Hey, Shaq’s not playing well, but he’s playing aggressive.’ The plan that they are having, it’s not working. And not only that, I say this respectfully. Joel Embiid will never win a championship until he gets his mind and his attitude right.”

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Back In The Day Hoops On SI. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com