Shaquille O'Neal shared a spicy take on what the WNBA should do to make the product more accessible to the mainstream.
The WNBA is coming off the heels of a successful All-Star Game weekend that showed the league is still on an undeniable upward trajectory. From the dazzling shooting of Sabrina Ionescu to the three-day unfiltered stream from the "StudBudz" duo of Courtney Williams and Natisha Hiedeman, the three-day event provided a refreshing look at a product drastically improving in quality.
This seemingly didn't impress NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal, who has been critical of the women's game for years.
In a recent bizarre monologue, Shaq repeated an exhausted talking point in an attempt to "help" the W become more profitable.
While on the "Off the Record" podcast, Shaq suggested that the league lower the rims to generate a more exciting brand of hoops, which would, in turn, help increase revenue.
"We gotta lower the rim," Shaq said. "Stop it—you want to make more money, let Caitlin go baseline and tip dunk. Angel can turn that wrist over and throw down. Trust me on this."
In typical Shaq fashion, he attempted to offer what he deemed an intelligent solution, but his persistent lack of awareness remains infuriating.
Perhaps when women's hoops was in its infancy, a rule change of that nature could have worked. The precedent of a ten-foot basket has been in place at every meaningful level for far too long to change it overnight for mere entertainment value.
Caitlin Clark is already a global icon without the ability to throw down a windmill jam. That should speak to her groundbreaking style of play.
It's about time this lazy thinking is tossed in the bin and genuine thoughts on how to improve the league are given more attention.
Category: Basketball
