Shaquille O'Neal says Kevin Durant is right about former players being petty about the money the current generation is making

Modern-day players have been criticized by former pros Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley for earning large paychecks despite not giving it their all every night.

The feud started when Hall of Famer Charles Barkley hit out at Kevin Durant for being unable to lead his team an NBA title. Durant, in response, claimed that Barkley was jealous because he did not make as much money as the Nets superstar.

"All this s**t is nasty, another terrible analogy from a hatin old head that can’t accept that we making more bread than them," Durant tweeted. "It’s just timing Chucky, don’t hate the playa."

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Shaquille O'Neal joined in on the act, stating that former players are not happy with the money the new generation is earning. He brought up the example of Rudy Gobert's $250 million contract to drive home his point.

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He also referenced former Orlando Magic forward Dennis Scott, who was one of the league's best shooters during his prime, but only made around $7 million.

"Let me tell you something, do you think I'm happy Rudy Gobert is making 250 (million)?" O'Neal said. "So KD, you're absolutely right. We're mad because the way we played we didn't get that. You got these shooters shooting 22% making 30 million.

"D Scott shot damn near 45 to 50% his whole career and the most he made was probably $7 million, so you damn right we get mad. We get petty, and guess what? We have an opinion, and our opinion counts."

Shaquille O'Neal made about $292 million during his career

Shaquille O'Neal reacts after being introduced as part of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.

Shaquille O'Neal had a stellar career in the NBA. O'Neal was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, five years after he retired. In the 19 years he spent in the league, he earned about $292 million.

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Rudy Gobert, who has spent nine years in the league, signed a contract extension in 2016 worth $102 million. In 2020, he signed a five-year extension worth $205 million, becoming the highest-paid center in league history.

Shaquille O'Neal has admitted to being ticked off by the price tag placed on Gobert, who has not achieved half of what the former Lakers star did.

NBA franchises generate far more revenue now than they did a decade ago so it makes sense that modern-day players are paid much more than those that played several years ago.