It seems like every day, there’s a new controversy surrounding Caitlin Clark. Yesterday, the discussion over the Fever rookie was her being left out of the Team USA women’s basketball squad for the Paris Olympics. Today, it’s her fans who are being targeted by Geno Auriemma for being disrespectful towards the WNBA superstars and legends. While it’s guaranteed to be another hot topic for the media, Shaquille O’Neal has picked his side by sharing the UConn head coach’s take on Instagram.
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During a recent conversation on the Dan Patrick Show, Auriemma said, “The delusional fanbase that follows her disrespected the WNBA players by saying she’s going to go in that league and tear it apart.”
The 11-time NCAA Champion coach believes that Clark was set up for failure in the league as she was hyped even before she made her WNBA debut. He also frowned upon the fact that she was ranked high on the betting odds to win the MVP title this year.
Shaq agrees with this harsh criticism about Caitlin Clark's fanbase pic.twitter.com/fGSYQAnu4o
— Ballerz Worldwide (@ballaznba) June 9, 2024
Auriemma added that like any other rookie, she wasn’t fit to dominate the league from day one and that’s exactly what has happened so far. However, the supporters of Caitlin are new to this league, and they have little to no idea just how competitive the WNBA is. Auriemma said,
“This rookie class isn’t even the best rookie class in the last 10 years, but they have been put out to be that because of the way social media is today.”
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The 70-year-old has hit the nail on its head with his comment. While it’s undeniable that CC has made a massive impact on women’s basketball, it should also be noted that she is just a rookie right now, who plays with some seasoned veterans.
So, her fans making tall claims about her sounds more like a disrespect to the legends who have been carrying the sport all this time. Interestingly, this isn’t the only time Shaq picked sides against Caitlin Clark.
Shaquille O’Neal backed his niece’s take against Caitlin Clark
Another major conversation around Clark in the last few weeks has been about the rise in WNBA’s viewership. Many fans believe that she is the reason behind the skyrocketing numbers that the league is bringing in.
While it’s undeniable that CC has made a massive impact on pulling those numbers, giving her the sole credit for it has put the Fever rookie in the crosshairs with several players, including Angel Reese. Backing her claim, Shaq, as a good uncle to the Sky rookie, shared her quote on his Instagram story.
The NCAA Champion opened up about the narrative that is being pushed around and said, “The reason why we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person. It’s because of me too.” Moreover, the rivalry between Reese and Clark is developing as the season moves forward. It will be interesting to witness this tussle of the two top rookies which has the potential to be the greatest one in the WNBA.
