Shaquille O’Neal wants it to be known that you can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Not literally, but the NBA star turned TNT Sports analyst wants there to be fair and measured takes when it comes to the Caitlin Clark discourse, and this is coming from the fellow LSU Tiger, who has referred to Angel Reese as “like a daughter.”
Meanwhile, Shaq’s colleague at Inside the NBA, Charles Barkley, has let it be known that he’s not with what he perceives as “pettiness” from the WNBA regarding Caitlin Clark.
Barkley had been adamant about the WNBA botching Clark and everything she has to offer while telling so-called haters of the Indiana Fever guard to “stop being petty,” and he doubled down on that talking point just a few weeks later. Shaq finally saw it with Clark.
He was in Chicago to watch the Fever take on Reese and the Sky, and he left feeling that Clark was the “real deal.”
He said as much in an interview with USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell, but he also took issue with how his colleague has shaped Clark’s WNBA experience as an us versus the world type of narrative.
“There’s envious jealousy, there’s professional jealousy,” O’Neal told USA Today. “Sure 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.”
“You 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.
“You 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.” And while making a pass at Sir Charles, Shaq further emphasized the need for patience and perspective, suggesting that the accomplishments of other WNBA legends should temper Clark’s rise to stardom.
“Loudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating — it’s not hating,” O’Neal later added. “It’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.”
