Rudy Gobert was forced to use his award-winning defense on Shaquille O'Neal on Thursday ... firing back after the Hall of Famer called him the worst player in the NBA.
The Big Aristotle didn't mince his words during a sit-down with his son, Myles, this week ... when he claimed the Minnesota Timberwolves big man "can't f***ing play" and didn't deserve his five-year, $205 million contract.
Shaq insisted he wasn't being a hater ... just stating facts, as there are so many people in the world with "real" jobs who don't get paid nearly as much.