For several years now, NBA centers Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside have somewhat regularly traded barbs back and forth on social media, with the words occasionally getting rather strong.
Last week when Whiteside agreed to a contract with the Utah Jazz, making him Gobert’s teammate, their beef with each other was one of the first things many people thought about.
On Monday, Whiteside met with media via Zoom from Las Vegas after his contract was made official last Friday, and he was asked about his relationship with his new teammate.
“There’s no rivalry or anything,” he said. “We’re just competing. At the end of the day, I’m always happy to see a big man succeed in this league, especially somebody that blocks shots the same as I do.
“There’s never been any rivalry. It’s been always just competing against each other, and we’re going to talk.”