NBA figures continue to debate Caitlin Clark’s welcome to professional basketball.
Caitlin Clark didn’t just enter the WNBA, she brought a tidal wave of eyeballs, sellout arenas, and drama.
Every night, the Indiana Fever guard plays with a target on her back, absorbing physical contact and relentless double-teams from opponents eager to test her resolve. Yet, Clark keeps answering the noise.
From picking up Rookie of the Year honors and breaking the league’s single-season assist record to putting up historic 45-point games, she treats the extra friction as pure fuel.
However, that hasn’t stopped it from being a topic of conversation off the court.
Shaquille O’Neal defends Caitlin Clark
Speaking to CNBC Sport, Shaquille O’Neal shared his opinions on the Caitlin Clark debate, where he claims that the intense physicality and targeted play she faces is simply a standard “rite of passage” that every game-changing player must go through before truly owning the league.
“All the greats have to go through what we call rites of passage. She’s a fabulous player, but we’re not giving you anything, ever. You have to earn it.
“So for her, she needs to toughen up, take those licks, and show them that, ‘These licks don’t bother me.'”
On July 17, she scored a career-high 45 points against the Seattle Storm.
“Keep doing that, and the rites of passage will start to open up, and they will invite you in and give you the throne,” O’Neal said.
He’s right. If she shows she’s bothered by the physicality on the court then they’ll keep on doing it. But if she rises above and lets her basketball do the talking, then she’ll elevate her game.
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