Shaquille O’Neal has been a big Angel Reese supporter since she won the 2023 National Championship with his alma mater, LSU. Earlier, his bias towards Reese held him back from praising her rival Caitlin Clark. But lately, things are changing.
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His views about CC have transformed since he watched her from courtside during the Chicago Sky vs Indiana Fever showdown in late August. On his The Big Podcast, Shaq gave props to Clark’s game.
But at the same time, he reiterated his loyalty to Reese.
“First, let’s not get it twisted. I’m Angel all day. I don’t [want her to think that] I’m turning my back on her. NFL, I’m Cowboys…WNBA, I’m Angel all day…”
Clark put up 31 points and 12 assists when Shaq was courtside. Angel Reese did have a solid game as well with 10 points and 11 rebounds. However, CC’s incredible play was highlighted as the Fever beat the Sky by 19 points.
Therefore, it was natural that it left a lasting impression on O’Neal.
O’Neal hailed Clark’s ability to make the right reads as a facilitator as well as her shooting chops. He acknowledged that watching her up close made him realize her talents. However, he continues to be a bigger Angel Reese fan.
“Caitlin plays the right way. I’ve seen her on TV and a lot of times we know that what we see on TV don’t really translate to the court all the time. I saw it, she makes the right play every time, not all the time. She makes her teammates better, she shoots the ball, she’s a great player but I’m Angel Reese all day.”
Shaq’s co-host Adam Lefkoe pointed out that Clark and Reese could make a solid inside-outside punch. But O’Neal doesn’t want to see them as teammates. Since the two have been rivals since college, he prefers it that way.
“I don’t want them together, I want them to battle against each other,” he added.
While O’Neal has started to acknowledge Clark a bit more, he still doesn’t want hoops fans to solely focus upon her. He gave a strong reply to Charles Barkley when he insinuated that CC was being unfairly targeted by her peers.
Shaquille O’Neal wants more recognition for other WNBA players too
Earlier this month on Bill Simmons’ podcast, Charles Barkley blasted WNBA athletes for showing “pettiness and jealousy” towards Caitlin Clark.
However, during an interview with USA Today, Shaquille O’Neal countered his Inside the NBA colleague’s comments. He acknowledged that there is jealousy regarding Clark among WNBA players, but it is more of a “professional jealousy”.
He also showed support for superstars other than Clark, arguing that they deserve more recognition too. Shaq conveyed,
“Loudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating, it’s not hating. 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 and not getting props. Everybody has to wait their turn.”
Despite such criticisms regarding CC supporters, O’Neal has been giving her flowers more often. During a September 5 interview with SI, she called her the “real deal” and acknowledged that his bias for Reese was not allowing him to see Clark’s otherworldly talents.
At any rate, it speaks volumes about Caitlin Clark’s heroics during the second half of the season. Even one of the biggest Reese supporters had to give her credit.
