With the popularity of the WNBA on the rise, a dedicated thread is well-deserved.
One rookie sensation, Caitlin Clark, is significantly raising the WNBA's profile on the sports landscape.
Quote:
Shaq calls Caitlin Clark the 'real deal,' dismisses Barkley comments about pettiness
Lindsay Schnell, Usa Today
Tue, Sep 10, 2024, 1:24 AM GMT+8·4 min read
Shaquille O�€™Neal is the first to praise Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese and all her accomplishments. The Hall of Famer and former LSU great built a bond so close with Reese she�€™s said he�€™s a father figure in her life.
But O�€™Neal, one of the greatest to play in the NBA, admitted something about the player many have deemed Reese�€™s No. 1 rival: Caitlin Clark, O�€™Neal said, is �€œthe real deal.�€�
O�€™Neal was in Chicago on Aug. 30 to watch Reese�€™s Sky take on Clark�€™s Fever in the teams�€™ final meeting of the 2024 season. Reese debuted Reebok�€™s newest basketball shoe, and O�€™Neal came to cheer her on. The Fever ran Chicago out of the building, winning 100-81 behind a career-high 31 points from Clark, who also dished 12 assists. Reese, meanwhile, had 10 points and 11 rebounds. O�€™Neal walked away impressed with Clark.
�€œWhen I see stuff on TV I�€™m like, OK, I�€™d like to see it in person. Well, I saw it in person,�€� O�€™Neal said of Clark. �€œShe can play �€� from a basketball standpoint, she makes all the right plays, gets everybody involved and she has that Steph Curry (shooting) range.�€�
O�€™Neal said the 2024 Rookie of the Year race will likely come down to Reese and Clark. After beating the Sky in three of four matchups and securing a playoff spot a couple weeks ago, most believe Clark will win in a landslide.
Another factor: Reese announced over the weekend that she would miss the rest of the season after sustaining a wrist injury that needs surgery. The No. 7 pick in the 2024 draft, Reese was leading the league in rebounds �€” 13.1 per game �€” at the time of her announcement.
O�€™Neal anticipates that the Clark vs. Reese talk won�€™t die down anytime soon, either.
�€œWhat makes it good for the game is it�€™ll be those two forever,�€� he said. �€œYou can make little games of it. In college, Angel�€™s up one (cause of winning a national championship). Now you can say, OK Caitlin�€™s in the playoffs, is Angel going to make the playoffs? Little games that you can play that keep their names going. I�€™m happy for both of them, I�€™m happy for women�€™s sports.''
And given their popularity, O�€™Neal said, which has brought record attendance, ratings and overall lifted the league into the public eye, it�€™s time for another change.
�€œNow it�€™s time for equal pay,�€� he said. �€œThey�€™ve always been great, but the space they�€™re in now, it�€™s time for everybody to be getting equal pay. I would love to see one of them make $10, 15, 20 million a year, they deserve it. But the fans have to continue to support �€� you gotta keep (going) to the games, buying merch, you gotta keep doing all that stuff and the more they do that, the more they�€™ll get paid.�€�
Asked about recent comments from Charles Barkley, who called out other WNBA players in May, saying they were being �€œpetty�€� and �€œjealous�€� when it comes to Clark, O�€™Neal offered a different perspective.
�€œThere�€™s envious jealousy, there�€™s professional jealousy,�€� O�€™Neal said. �€œSure there�€™s a lot of people who are professionally jealous. I am. I�€™m professionally jealous of a lot of people. I�€™m professionally jealous of Steph (Curry), he makes $60 million. But hey, that�€™s life.
�€œYou gotta also understand that we�€™re not just going to give it to you because everybody else is giving it to you,�€� O�€™Neal continued. �€œYou still gotta earn it. Chuck had to go through that, I had to go through that, so I understand what everybody�€™s doing. Yeah you�€™re great, but you ain�€™t that great yet. Calm down. We still got Diana Taurasi, we still got A�€™ja Wilson, if you�€™re gonna give (Caitlin) props make sure our girls that are dominating in this league get the same props.�€�
O�€™Neal highlighted specifically the play of Wilson, the runaway favorite to win her third MVP. Through 34 games Wilson is averaging a league-best 27.3 points per game, to go with 11.9 rebounds per game (second-best in league) and 2.7 blocks per game (first). Wilson is expected to contend for defensive player of the year honors, too.
�€œLoudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating �€” it�€™s not hating,�€� O�€™Neal said. �€œIt�€™s like, you�€™re good but let�€™s slow it down a notch. As good as Caitlin Clark is, we�€™ve had a lot of young ladies who have been doing good (before) and not getting props. People like props and they want to feel good when you�€™re talking about (their league) �€� it�€™s not hating. Everybody has to wait their turn.�€�