Shaquille O’Neal Reveals Why WNBA Players Have A Problem With Caitlin Clark

Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark has stolen the hearts of millions throughout her rookie season in the WNBA. Whether it be her play on the court or her maturity off, fans have been left amazed with the former Iowa Hawkeyes star.

But what about the rest of the players in the league?

Former NBA star Charles Barkley certainly thinks there is " petty jealousness " towards Clark from other WNBA players. His "Inside the NBA" co-analyst Shaquille O'Neal would agree with Barkley but with a slightly different approach.

In an interview with USA Today , Shaq opened up on the WNBA's jealousy of Clark and gave a comparable example.

“There’s envious jealousy, there’s professional jealousy,” O’Neal said. “Sure, there’s a lot of people who are professionally jealous. I am. I’m professionally jealous of a lot of people. I’m professionally jealous of Steph (Curry). He makes $60 million. But hey, that’s life."

Clark signed a four-year, $338,056 contract after being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. Her first year's salary is $76,000, and the average WNBA salary is $102,000. At first glance, it may be difficult to agree with Shaq's Curry comparison, but you have to factor in endorsement deals.

Clark signed the richest endorsement deal by any women's basketball athlete ever. The deal is for eight years, $28M, or $3.5M per year. That's more earnings in one year than some of these WNBA players will make throughout their entire career.

In her rookie season, Clark has proved to be worth every penny. She has led the Fever to the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and has broken many WNBA records along the way.

O'Neal spent 19 seasons in the NBA, becoming a 15-time All-Star, winning four championships, an MVP award and three NBA Finals MVPs.

Related: Indiana Fever’s New Nickname For Caitlin Clark, Aliyah Boston

Related: Caitlin Clark Reveals Indiana Fever's X-Factor