Do Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese Deserve Equal Pay? Analyzing Shaquille O’Neal’s Campaign for WNBA Rookies

A lot of focus is on whether Shaq is Team Angel, if he’s finally acknowledging Caitlin Clark, or if he thinks it’s A’ja Wilson and Diana Taurasi’s league. But his very underrated campaign is not talked about enough. Ever since Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark entered the league, Shaquille O’Neal has become an advocate for equal pay. His reasoning, like a lot of WNBA fans, is that they’re giving the business a boost and deserve better.

It’s not only for the two rookies, but Shaq believes stars like Wilson deserve recognition equivalent to their NBA counterparts. Since experiencing the thrill of Angel-Caitlin’s rivalry firsthand, he’s amped up his campaign. And fans are taking notice.

Shaq saw Caitlin Clark play in person for the first time in August when the Indiana Fever beat Chicago Sky a few weeks ago. He’s unshakeable Team Angel. But after seeing her live, O’Neal could comfortably admit Clark was talented. He’s been vocal about how thrilling it is to watch both Reese and Clark play since then.

He’d even tell Forbes, “I’m glad there’s new (focus) on the WNBA. But the conversation is not over. We need to start getting them similar pay.” After experiencing this rivalry firsthand, he pushed his primary agenda. “I said this before and I took a lot of flak for it, but I mean it. For a guy like Rudy Gobert to make $200 million and not be that good, while Caitlin Clark to make $100,000, there’s something wrong with that picture.”

It is not another jab at Rudy Gobert. The pay gap between the NBA and WNBA is offensive as much as explainable. Sure, it can be argued that the WNBA was not generating enough revenue to be able to pay its players or that the NBA neglected its sister league for far too long. But O’Neal classifies Reese and Clark at a level higher than at least Gobert with a nine-figure contract.

The pay gap was debated at length in April, when both emerging stars signed rookie-scale contracts – 4-year, $338,056, with a base salary of $76,535 for Clark and 4-year, $324,383 with a base salary of $73,439 for Reese. It’s not too far off from 3x MVP, A’ja Wilson’s current $400,000 contract. Her teammate, Jackie Young, who earns $252,450 annually, is the WNBA’s highest earner. On the other hand, the reigning NBA RoTY, Victor Wembanyama has a $55 million contract with the Spurs.

Yes, there are logistics involved in closing that gap. But there’s a consensus in TNT (Shaq+Chuck) that your play has to be worth the multi-million deals. One can argue the WNBA stars are worth millions.

Shaq’s plot to break the glass ceiling

In the 70s, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird carried forward their NCAA rivalry to the NBA. At least Johnson, who agreed to a $400,000 salary from the Lakers, was the highest-paid rookie at that time. The thrill of the rivalry took the NBA out of the tape-delay era and live NBA playoffs became a thing. It made it easy for Michael Jordan to make the NBA media rights a hot commodity a few years later. Today, the NBA media rights are worth $76 billion, taken away from TNT and given to Amazon. Retired NBA pros estimate the likes of Wemby will become early billionaires thanks to the money in the league.

The WNBA is at the start of the Renaissance since Clark and Reese’s rivalry during college leeched into the league. Viewership, ticket and merch sales have seen a triple digit increase since then. Both are some of the few active WNBA players with signature sneaker deals. But Shaq stated that fans and sponsors need to make a combined effort.

“We need to start having women get similar pay or equal pay. Fans should keep supporting them, continue buying merchandise, continue helping them get TV deals,” he said. Previously, he wanted both to be earning $20 million annually. He’s upped his demand, stating, “I am looking forward to the day when a woman professional athlete makes $50 or $60 million like she deserves, for being a good player.”

Many would agree with Shaq that the current WNBA rookie class had the marketability to level out endorsement and funding in both leagues. For the sake of keeping this excitement going, Shaq wants all the fantasy lineups of Angel and CC on the same team. Since their last matchup, he’s said in at least two interviews and The Big Podcast, “I don’t want them together, I want them to battle against each other.”

He knows the rivalry sells. Reese has an NCAA championship over Clark, both were the only frontrunners for RoTY, Clark has more wins in the WNBA, and Fever is in the playoffs – a storyline that makes Shaquille O’Neal feel like an Oscar-worthy scriptwriter. Only fair the stars of his blockbuster get their due.