"6 straight pods talking about Caitlin Clark": WNBA fans make opinion clear on Shaquille O'Neal's praise for Fever rookie on Angel Reese podcast

NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal joined Angel Reese’s “Unapologetically Podcast” for Thursday’s episode, where they discussed topics including Caitlin Clark's widespread appeal. Some WNBA fans raised eyebrows at Reese for yet another discussion about her fellow rookie, even as O’Neal praised Clark during the show.

O’Neal compared Caitlin Clark to Steph Curry, the NBA’s "baby-faced assassin" who doesn’t look dangerous but is lethal on offense. When O’Neal asked Reese why she thinks Clark is so beloved, Reese said it’s because Clark can shoot from the logo.

Fans reacted to the segment, with some joking that Clark consistently gets brought up in Reese's podcast.

“6 straight pods talking Caitlin,” one said.

That is a bit of a stretch, as Reese has only mentioned Clark on four of her podcasts with basketball-related guests: the first episode, one with Sheryl Swoopes, another with Dwyane Wade and the latest with Shaquille O'Neal.

“Was there any episode without mentioning CC? CC should be paid at this point,” another said.

“On the low, I think CC in the background producing the show cuz they stay on her,” another added.

More fans joked about how often Clark comes up in Reese’s show.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome back to the Caitlin Clark show. I’m your host Angel Reese,” one said.

“Has she had a single podcast yet that doesn’t mention Caitlin Clark?” another asked.

One fan even commented on O’Neal’s praise for Clark in front of Reese, saying:

“Basically Shaq was telling Reese that Caitlin Clark was better than Reese...to her face.”

“You can totally tell Angel was NOT about this and wanted him to stop talking,” another added.

Shaquille O’Neal admits once being a Caitlin Clark hater because of Angel Reese bias

Shaquille O’Neal also admitted he used to dislike Clark due to his loyalty to fellow LSU alum Angel Reese.

“She's doing stuff we've never seen before. Never seen nobody do that on a consistent basis,” he said. “A lot of girls in the WNBA that have done it in spurts.”

“I was a hater because you know, I'm down with you.”

Shaquille O'Neal also pointed out that Clark is easily appreciated because she looks like an underdog but plays with a killer mentality, much like Steph Curry.

“We’ve never seen that before. That's my point. Steph Curry. A little kid. Like Steph Curry. You know why I love Steph Curry? Because I've never seen that before. I've never seen that before," Shaq said.

"I've seen it a little ... but I've never seen a guy consistently come down. And if you look at, like if you saw Steph on the street, he ain't got the LeBron muscles."

Angel Reese became Reebok’s first major NIL signing in October 2023, while she was still playing at LSU. The move was spearheaded by Shaquille O'Neal, president of Reebok Basketball.