Shaquille O’Neal has come up with a controversial plan on how to get WNBA players paid more, as the NBA Hall of Famer told Angel Reese that the league’s hoops should be scaled back.
O’Neal and Reese were arguing about her. Podcast ‘No Apologies Angel’ how NBA players earn far more than their female counterparts, with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark earning a base salary of just $76,535 this season.
And after Reese said the WNBA doesn’t pay its players enough, O’Neal revealed to his fellow LSU alum his vision for helping level the gender pay gap in basketball.
“I have a solution for that, no one is going to like my solution,” she began, before suggesting that the WNBA hoops should be lowered slightly so more women can dunk.
“A lot of people are going to comment, they’re going to hate this, but… that’s the only thing missing (in women’s soccer),” she continued.
Angel Reese extremely disapproved of Shaquille O’Neal’s idea of lowering the wheels of the WNBA
Reese, who can dunk, was extremely disapproving of the idea, shaking his head and saying, “I hate it when men say that.”
The Chicago Sky center didn’t believe more dunks in the women’s game would make WNBA players pay more, adding, “People always disrespect women anyway.” They are not always going to give us the same value as a man.’
O’Neal also mentioned Clark in his explanation, saying: ‘It’s about seeing things you’re not supposed to see… Why do you think people love Caitlin Clark? Besides his skills?
“She can shoot threes from the logo,” Reese said.
‘We’ve never seen that before. That’s my point,” O’Neal said.
However, O’Neal stated that WNBA action resembled a “high school game” unless certain players were involved, adding, “Our game is different because we do all the things.” Alley-oops…’
He also said, ‘A pretty girl diving into hoops, I’d watch her all day,’ which made Reese, who works with him at Reebok, laugh.
Reese recently revealed that her WNBA salary doesn’t come close to paying her rent in Chicago.
Clark makes millions from her endorsement deals, but earned just over $76,000 from the WNBA.
Reese, however, disagreed with O’Neal’s idea, which he said was based on nets being slightly lower for women in beach volleyball.
While Reese makes money from deals with Reebok, Reese’s and Beats By Dre, his base salary was equally low as Clark’s by professional sports standards.
Reese grossed just $74,909 for her rookie season after being selected No. 7 overall by the Sky.
She is set to earn even more by participating in the newly launched Unrivaled 3-on-3 league, which previously announced that each player would earn a minimum six-figure salary.
The league, which begins in Miami in January, recently landed a television deal with TNT Sports.
