On the eve of the Women’s NCAA Tournament, basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal puffed out his chest and declared Angel Reese as the best athlete ever to come out of Louisiana State University, in any sport. This high praise drew eyebrows from a few observers, but Reese herself could end up questioning O’Neal in light of his latest declarations about the Tigers star’s rival from Iowa.
O’Neal has reaffirmed his earlier position that Caitlin Clark is the greatest player in the history of women’s college basketball — just as the Hawkeyes and the Tigers appear on a collision course for a rematch of last season’s NCAA championship game. The comments are sure to create plenty of debate as Clark‘s collegiate career winds down after four illustrious seasons in Iowa City.
Video: NBA announcer makes a Caitlin Clark joke and its ‘out of touch`for some peopleShaq: Just look at the stats!
In a new interview with USA Today, O’Neal doubled down on comments he made in February, when Clark became the highest-scoring woman in college basketball history. His case is relatively open-and-shut.
“You always have to look at the stats,” O’Neal told For The Win. “If a person has 20 (points), they are great. She has 30. Wouldn’t it automatically make her great? I say, ‘yeah’. The way she plays, shoots and puts her team on the map — nobody has done what she’s done.”
Clark has indeed changed Iowa basketball, and her performances — especially during her junior and senior seasons — have led to widespread interest in the women’s game. The top-seeded Hawkeyes were national finalists a season ago, after Clark scored 41 points in a national semifinal takedown of undefeated South Carolina. That was Iowa’s first-ever appearance in the national title game.
Another factor that stands out for O’Neal is Clark’s swagger — which some believe crosses a line on occasion, but leaves no doubt as to her passion for the game and leading the Hawkeyes to victories. It reminds Big Diesel of another basketball icon, known for his similarly-electric shotmaking and addiction to winning.
“I’ve never seen anybody play like Miss Caitlin Clark,” O’Neal said. “That’s why I say she’s the best college player ever. It’s all subjective, but it’s just my opinion. Nobody is doing that step-back Steph Curry shot like Caitlin Clark, and she does it every game.”
