Shaquille O’Neal has admitted that he was initially not a fan of WNBA newcomer Caitlin Clark. O’Neal, who is renowned for his illustrious NBA career with teams such as the LA Lakers, Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, has an impressive legacy including four NBA championships, three MVPs in NBA finals, and 15 All-Star accolades among numerous other awards.
His number 34 jersey was retired by the Lakers, while the Heat and Orlando Magic honoured his iconic number 32. And despite Clark’s promising start in the WNBA, where she broke several records in her debut season and was named Rookie of the Year, O’Neal confessed that he wasn’t initially impressed by her performances on the court.
Speaking on the Unapologetically Angel podcast, hosted by Clark’s long-time rival Angel Reese of the Chicago Sky, O’Neal said: “I was a hater, because you know I’m down with you. I was like she’s not going to hit that shot, and like bam. But, if I say ten times that you’re going to hit the shot and you hit the shot, that means you’re the truth.”
In the same conversation, O’Neal compared Clark to NBA superstar Steph Curry, known for his ability to shoot threes from anywhere on the court despite being smaller in stature. He explained: “You know why I love Steph Curry? Because I’ve never seen that before.
“I’ve never seen that before. I’ve seen it a little bit in Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf, but I’ve never seen a guy consistently. And if you saw Steph on the street, he ain’t got the LeBron muscles, he’s not 6’9, he’s not 6’10. He looks like a perfectly normal office guy.
“He’s doing stuff that people have never seen before. She’s doing stuff we’ve never seen before. Never seen anybody do it on a consistent basis. There’s a lot of girls in WNBA that have done it in spurts, but [none like this]..”
Clark had an exceptional debut year with Indiana Fever after being picked as the WNBA’s first-overall draft choice. Throughout her rookie season, the 22-year-old shattered several records and propelled the Fever to their first playoff appearance in eight years.
She set a new high for assists in a single season and became the fastest woman to hit 100 three-pointers, also breaking the record for most three-pointers in a season with 122. In addition, Clark dished out a record-breaking 337 assists in one season, earning her 66 of the 67 votes for Rookie of the Year. Reese received the remaining vote.
