As Shaquille O’Neal sat courtside to watch WNBA basketball last night, he spoke in a brief interview where he gave his thoughts on the state of the game and its two biggest stars. O’Neal loved the experience and said that he looks forward to the day when Caitlyn Clark and Angel Reese make the type of money they deserve.
“I love it. Especially for women,” said Shaq. “They’ve always played great, they’ve always played hard, I’m glad they’re getting their exposure. They definitely deserve it. Now we just got to get them similar contracts to what some of those NBA guys are making. They’ve always played great, they’ve always played hard. I’m glad they’re getting the exposure. They definitely deserve it. Now we just gotta get ’em similar contracts as what some of these NBA guys are making.”
Shaquille O’Neal is more qualified than most to speak on all things basketball. The Diesel is a legend of the game with career averages of 23.7 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game on 58% shooting. He’s a 4x champion, former MVP, and 15x All-Star. His career earnings in the NBA surpassed $292 million.
These days, O’Neal can mostly be seen on television or on social media sharing whatever opinion comes to his mind. This week, it seems that women’s basketball was a hot topic and it’s no secret that O’Neal is a major fan. In fact, he even recently called Chicago Sky Center Angel Reese his “daughter.” Now, after attending last night’s game, he’s pushing for all WNBA athletes to get the exposure they deserve.
In the modern league, two rookie stars are stealing the show (Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese) and Shaq sat courtside last night to bear witness to their play. In the end, the Indiana Fever won the game by a whopping 19 points, evening their record at 16-16 on the season. It was rising superstar Caitlyn Clark who led the way for her team with 31 points, 12 assists, and 4 rebounds in 32 minutes. She’s been on fire all season and is quickly rising the ranks as a potential icon of the WNBA.
On the other side, Angel Reese continued her hot streak with 10 points and 11 rebounds in 32 minutes of play. She’s been gaining national attention for her performance this season and her record-setting rebounding pace.
Together, the two women are re-defining the league and they are putting a spotlight on women’s basketball unlike anything we’ve seen before. But despite their amazing and historic success, their salaries are still relatively low compared to what you’d expect. Clark, the first overall pick in the draft, signed for a four-year, $338,056 contract in April while Reese is locked into a deal with the Sky for 4 years and $324,383.
Those contracts are dramatically below the NBA’s minimum salary and many fans feel that the WNBA athletes are long overdue for a pay raise. In terms of progress and standing, the WNBA is still decades behind where the NBA is right now but interest in the league has never been higher.
With two rising young superstars and a competitive environment that rewards hard work, it’s clear that women’s basketball is on the rise and they have a unique opportunity to use this new-found fame to build up their audience and broaden their reach. If it works, we should see the salaries rise for every player and Shaquille O’Neal will be just one of many fans content to see the players rewarded.
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