Shaquille O'Neal Sends 7-Word Verdict on Caitlin Clark's Time Athlete of the Year Win
Back in September, NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal admitted that he had a change of heart regarding Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
"(Clark) does everything right," Shaq said in the interview. "I never spoke about her (before) because Angel (Reese) is my girl but I can truthfully say — Caitlin Clark is for real. I’m watching her play and I'm trying to be upset but she makes the right pass, makes the right play. Girls try to beat her up and she doesn’t really complain. She’s a great one, even early on (in her career).
"She’s the real deal," Shaq added of Clark. "Much respect to her and her family and the way she grew up and the way she plays. All little girls should watch all the WNBA players play but those two (Clark and Reese) are my favorite."
It was really cool to hear Shaq give Clark her flowers, despite his affiliation with Reese.
Since then, Clark has added multiple impressive records and accolades to her resumé; perhaps the most notable being her winning Time Athlete of the Year for 2024.
Shaq conducted an interview with TMZ Live that appeared to be recorded back in December but was released on January 1. And when the topic of Clark winning this Time honor was brought up, Shaq had only seven words to express his opinion.
"Congratulations to her. She's a fabulous player," Shaq said.
He kept it brief when discussing Clark's Time win, but went on to discuss other WNBA matters. "Caitlin, my girl Angel [Reese], definitely brought a lot of publicity to the WNBA. But we can't forget about all the other WNBA greats. A'ja [Wilson], Sabrina [Ionescu], Diana [Taurasi], all the women that's playing great," he said.
"They're finally getting the credit that they deserve. They play much harder than the men, they play better than the men. That's a beautiful game to watch," Shaq added.
We caught up with @SHAQ to talk about the WNBA's breakout season this year with stars like Angel Reese & Caitlin Clark! pic.twitter.com/9XPboMCoFM
— TMZ Live (@TMZLive) January 2, 2025
Props to Shaq for showing love to the WNBA — despite his opinions on the polarizing ways he thinks it can improve.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.