Rudy Gobert, wipe away the tears and "man up" ... 'cause there's no crying in basketball -- so says Shaquille O'Neal, who knows a thing or 15 about being an All-Star.
TMZ Sports saw Shaq at his Fun House Super Bowl bash in ATL -- and asked him about Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert crying in front of reporters while discussing NOT making the All-Star team ... a story the whole NBA world's talking about.
The Big Aristotle's advice ... Stop. Crying.
"Maybe he was sad he didn't make it, but it happens like that sometimes. I remember when I made it 15 years in a row and the last year I didn't make it. I guess I wasn't good enough. But, it's not something you cry about."
FYI ... Gobert's a beast -- especially on defense -- and definitely could've been an All-Star ... but he ain't, and showing emotion opened the door for rival players to attack.
(See Draymond Green -- who trolled RG on Twitter).
"We live in a tough sport. Guys like Draymond, he knows what he's doing. He's trying to get in [Gobert's] head. It's psychological. But there is no crying in basketball Rudy. Man up."
"Put some Icy Hot on your face, Rudy."