Shaq pours cold water on WNBA's gambling post, reflects on players' 'professional jealousy' of Caitlin Clark

The WNBA has been nether captious occurrence since the archetypal time Caitlin Clark joined the league.

While being successful the midst of civilization warfare battles, Clark has besides been the unfortunate of immoderate hard fouls owed to what's commonly been perceived arsenic monolithic jealousy from her peers.

As the WNBA has dealt with its ain evident conflict amid its players connected antithetic sides of the transgender jock debate, the league drummed up adjacent much contention aft deleting a station astir a wager betwixt Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

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Shaquille O'Neal speaks onstage during the The Big Podcast sheet astatine Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 astatine Jacob Javits Center connected July 17, 2026, successful New York City.  (Rob Kim/Getty Images for Fanatics)

The 2 stars recorded a video successful which they wagered $400 connected a caller crippled betwixt their respective teams - betting of immoderate benignant is strictly prohibited nether the WNBA's caller corporate bargaining agreement, with Section 5 of Article 14 successful the statement dedicated to gambling regulations. A WNBA spokesperson released a connection connected Thursday claiming that the rapidly deleted video was "intended to beryllium lighthearted," but that it "simply missed the mark."

NBA fable Shaquille O'Neal, though, saw practically thing incorrect with what Reese and Bueckers did.

Paige Bueckers #5 of the Dallas Wings plays defence connected Angel Reese #5 of the Atlanta Dream connected May 22, 2026 astatine Gateway Center Arena astatine College Park successful Atlanta, Georgia. (Joe Boatman/NBAE via Getty Images)

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"That’s what we telephone a 'homeboy bet.' If it falls nether gambling, it would beryllium nether the misdemeanor section; radical request to halt it. She's not f—ing constituent shaving," O'Neal told Fox News Digital recently.

The erstwhile large antheral besides admitted that determination is "professional jealousy" erstwhile it comes to Clark, but "it’s what we telephone the rites of passage."

"There's girls that are going 'You don't speech astir maine similar that, you speech astir her.' You gotta instrumentality vantage of that opportunity. You person to spell astatine who they deliberation the champion is. If you got different radical coming astatine her, past it is what it is. Once she gets done this adjacent twelvemonth and keeps playing the mode she's playing, they’ll person nary prime but to emotion and judge it," O'Neal said. "But this is what we telephone rites of passage. We don’t conscionable fto youngsters travel successful and instrumentality implicit due to the fact that they’re getting each the props from the media.

"Caitlin's a pugnacious cookie. She'll beryllium capable to get implicit it. Angel's throwing 'bows, talking smack, letting everyone cognize 'I'm not scared.' Caitlin's astir apt gotta bash a small much of that."

Caitlin Clark of the Indiana Fever drives to the handbasket against Angel Reese of the Atlanta Dream during the 2nd 4th astatine State Farm Arena successful Atlanta, Georgia, connected June 20, 2026. (Colin Hubbard/Getty Images)

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Clark precocious went aft the WNBA, saying it needs to bash a amended occupation of protecting its players some connected and disconnected the court.

OutKick's Mark Harris contributed to this report.

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