Caitlin Clark’s emergence in the WNBA, even as the season heads into its final stretch, continues to spark discussion among the league’s participants. Recently, it was none other than the legendary Charles Barkley who addressed the jealousy directed at her, prompting a response from another NBA star.
This time, the person addressing the comments made by the former Houston Rockets player is none other than the legendary Shaquille O’Neal, a multiple-time champion with the Los Angeles Lakers and also a former player for the Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics, among others.
In comments made on US Today Sports’ Sports Seriously, Shaq was firm: “There’s envious jealousy; there’s professional jealousy. 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. He makes $60 million. But hey, that’s life.”
“Loudmouths like Chuck (Charles Barkley) are talking about hating… it’s not hating. It’s like, (Clark is) 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.”, O’Neal finally stated.
Shaquille O’Neal attends the Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront 2024 on May 15, 2024 in New York City.
O’Neal and his relationship with Angel Reese
Angel Reese and Shaquille O’Neal share a strong bond; she even refers to him as her ‘uncle.’ Both started their basketball careers at LSU, which is one of the reasons their bond has grown even stronger with Reese’s debut in the WNBA.
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“Yeah you’re great, but you ain’t that great yet,” O’Neal continued. “Calm down. We still got Diana Taurasi, we still got A’ja Wilson, if you’re gonna give (Clark) props make sure our girls that are dominating in this league get the same props.”
Another record broken by Caitlin Clark
Her career seems to know no bounds. Her performances continue to be among the most spectacular, and her numbers in her first season as a WNBA player keep surprising both fans and critics alike.
Caitlin Clark started Friday night’s game against the Las Vegas Aces with 312 assists on the season, making it the third-most assists in a single season ever, behind Connecticut Sun star Alyssa Thomas — 316 in 2023 — and Courtney Vandersloot — 314 in 2023. With three games remaining, it was almost a certainty that Caitlin Clark would surpass that record.
It was only a matter of time before Clark achieved this milestone. Clark did, however, record six assists in the first half, surpassing both Courtney Vandersloot and Alyssa Thomas to become the all-time leader in assists for a single WNBA season.
The former Iowa star continues to break records in the WNBA, and undoubtedly her net worth will grow even further over time as she remains one of the most unique players in recent years.
