NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal knows a thing or two about getting fouled. During his NBA career, O'Neal faced punishment from some of the meanest big men around. Due to his spotty free-throw ability, O'Neal often found himself subject to some pretty rough and obvious fouls from defenders.
That makes O'Neal uniquely qualified — in his opinion, at least — to talk about Caitlin Clark's current situation in the WNBA. Clark has been the subject of some particularly hard fouls this season, causing all manner of people — whether qualified or not — to weigh in on how the WNBA should protect one of its biggest stars.
O'Neal doesn't see it that way, though. To O'Neal, what Clark is facing is something all the greats have endured early in their careers. During an interview with CNBC, O'Neal said all the hard fouls and rough treatment against Clark are "rites of passage" talented players have to overcome.
"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," O'Neal said. "So for her, she needs to toughen up, take those licks, and show them that, 'These licks don't bother me.'"
That's not a surprising take from O'Neal, who — through previous comments — has made it clear he values toughness and sees hard fouls as a part of the game. That's probably due to the era in which O'Neal came up in the NBA. In the early '90s, the game was more physical. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, famously, took beatings from the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs early in his career, to the point where the Bulls had to bring in enforcers in free agency to retaliate and keep Jordan safe.
#o 'neal #early
That makes O'Neal uniquely qualified — in his opinion, at least — to talk about Caitlin Clark's current situation in the WNBA. Clark has been the subject of some particularly hard fouls this season, causing all manner of people — whether qualified or not — to weigh in on how the WNBA should protect one of its biggest stars.
O'Neal doesn't see it that way, though. To O'Neal, what Clark is facing is something all the greats have endured early in their careers. During an interview with CNBC, O'Neal said all the hard fouls and rough treatment against Clark are "rites of passage" talented players have to overcome.
"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," O'Neal said. "So for her, she needs to toughen up, take those licks, and show them that, 'These licks don't bother me.'"
That's not a surprising take from O'Neal, who — through previous comments — has made it clear he values toughness and sees hard fouls as a part of the game. That's probably due to the era in which O'Neal came up in the NBA. In the early '90s, the game was more physical. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, famously, took beatings from the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs early in his career, to the point where the Bulls had to bring in enforcers in free agency to retaliate and keep Jordan safe.
#o 'neal #early
3 months ago
