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

Four-time NBA champion and Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal defended the on-court treatment of Caitlin Clark in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

The WNBA has been under critical fire since the first day Caitlin Clark joined the league.

While being in the midst of culture war battles, Clark has also been the victim of some hard fouls due to what's commonly been perceived as massive jealousy from her peers.

As the WNBA has dealt with its own apparent battle amid its players on different sides of the transgender athlete debate, the league drummed up even more controversy after deleting a post about a wager between Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers.

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Shaquille O'Neal speaks onstage during "The Big Podcast" panel at Fanatics Fest NYC 2026 at Jacob Javits Center on July 17, 2026, in New York City. (Rob Kim/Getty Images for Fanatics)

The two stars recorded a video in which they wagered $400 on a recent game between their respective teams — betting of any kind is strictly prohibited under the WNBA's new collective bargaining agreement, with Section 5 of Article 14 in the agreement dedicated to gambling regulations. A WNBA spokesperson released a statement on Thursday claiming that the quickly deleted video was "intended to be lighthearted," but that it "simply missed the mark."

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, though, saw practically nothing wrong with what Reese and Bueckers did.

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

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