NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal gave his opinion on one of the toughest decisions in sports, whether Caitlin Clark or Angel Reese is the WNBA Rookie of the Year.
Heading into the All-Star break, the race couldn’t be tighter between Clark of the Indiana Fever and Reese of the Chicago Sky.
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However, Shaq – who is not known for being a shrinking violet – came clean and gave his verdict.
He is convinced that one player is ahead, and that player is Reese.
The two have been friends since she became a star at LSU, O’Neal’s alma mater.
But Shaq insists that is not a factor in his decision, and he is extremely impressed with her progress in her first WNBA season.
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“I’m not just saying that because she went to LSU, I think she’s definitely leading the Rookie of the Year race,” O’Neal said.
“I give the vote to Angel.”
Despite this decision, Shaq was also careful to praise both players.
They have helped significantly increase interest in women’s basketball, both during this year’s March Madness and this WNBA season.
“Caitlin is a fabulous player, the Steph Curry woman,” said Shaq
“They’ve done a lot for the game, Caitlin and Angel, because of social media and all the media.
“They really brought the game to where it should have been 10 years ago.”
As you can imagine, fans were quick to weigh in on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.
“Haters in tears!” one person posted.
“In my opinion, it will all depend on which team has the best record at the end of the season,” said another fan.
“It’s an opinion-based comment, Shaq thinks Angel, I think CC, but one thing people can certainly agree on is that the eyes on this league are huge thanks to these two young ladies!” a third fan commented.
Caitlin Clark Fever
CAITLIN Clark’s impact was felt throughout the WNBA before she was even drafted.
The college superstar from Iowa went No. 1 overall to the Indiana Fever, a surprise to absolutely no one.
The Indiana Fever had 36 of their 40 games in the 2024 season scheduled for national TV – up from 22 last year.
Teams also moved their games against the Fever to larger arenas to meet extra ticket demand.
Clark helped the NCAA attract 18.9 million viewers to the women’s championship game, more than the 14.8 million who watched the men’s championship game.
She has also signed a contract with Nike worth more than $20 million.
“Caitlin breaks a WNBA record after this interview,” a fourth fan posted.
That last comment refers to Clark’s brilliant performance on Wednesday against the Dallas Wings, when he broke two records.
The first came when she dished out her 202nd assist of the campaign, which set a new single-season franchise record.
And she also dished out the most assists in a single game by a rookie in WNBA history with 19.
Indiana lost the game 101-93, but Clark continues to write his own brilliant story.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
