Shaq Confessed to Hating on Caitlin Clark Because He Was ‘Down With’ Angel Reese
Shaq said he was a bigger fan of Reese, who also attended his alma mater, LSU.
Shaquille O’Neal has admitted he was once a Caitlin Clark hater because he was a fan of Angel Reese back when the two would go at it in college.
On the latest episode of Unapologetically Angel, the Big Diesel spoke about the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year and how she is elevating the league to new heights with her electrifying play. However, as Shaq praised Clark, he also admitted to hating on her back when she was playing college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Shaq said he was a bigger fan of Reese, who played college basketball for his alma mater, the Louisiana State University Tigers, but he acknowledged that Clark’s skill was undeniable and worthy of recognition.
“She’s doing stuff we’ve never seen before. Never seen nobody do that on a consistent basis,” said Shaq. “There’s a lot of girls in the WNBA that does it in spurts, but you know, that game I’m watching y’all in the Final Four, I’m like damn, and I was a hater cause you know I’m down with you, and I was like she’s not going to hit that shot and ‘Bam!’ Like if I say 10 times you not going to hit the shot and you hit the shot, that means you the truth.”
Back in September, Shaq discussed feeling the need to support either Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “(Clark) does everything right,” Shaq told the outlet. “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).”
In a conversation with the Wall Street Journal, Reese revealed that she hoped to be teammates with Clark one day. The two have been pitted against each other since they faced off in college, but Reese explained that they have been playing together since childhood, which has created a deeper bond than many might think.
“Me and Caitlin have been playing against each other since we were kids,” said Reese. “It’s just a full circle moment of how women are viewed when it comes to trash-talking, and it’s okay in men’s sports. So we’re gonna normalize that in women’s sports as well, so it’s just super competitive
I think we’re two great competitors. We brought a lot of fans to this league, and I thought we’re gonna continue to do that, and one day, hopefully, we can be teammates.”
