Shaquille O’Neal and controversies are great friends. This time, Big Shaq is back with another controversial opinion on the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year race. Caitlin Clark is leading the table with an impeccable average in her very first season. Fans all over the internet believe Clark has the best shot at the Rookie honors, but in a sudden change of events, the narrative might switch in favor of Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky. This stance was instigated by Shaq, who shared a bold prediction on his Instagram after Reese outshined Clark today.

Angel Reese is not far from Clark on the ROTY ladder. She is just below the Indiana Fever guard at the second place, with an impressive average of 12.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists, in the 14 games she has played. However, today, she was better than Clark, as she helped the Sky defeat the Fever in their third match-up this season.

The 22-year-old Sky forward dropped 25 points and 16 rebounds to outshine Clark’s 17 points and 13 assists. Notably, Reese also got a win, despite trailing by 14 points against the Fever. This performance impressed Shaq. He re-shared the below post which wrote, “I’m calling it now. Angel Reese will win rookie of the year.” Making a bold prediction. As the “father figure” of Reese, Shaq has endorsed for the 22-year-old all season.

However, this take from the Los Angeles Lakers legend might be controversial. Fans might not find this apt. Anyhow, he is not going to stop supporting Reese. He recently sided with the Sky forward for her much-debated technical foul on Clark in their last match-up.

How did Shaquille O’Neal justify Angel Reese’s technical foul on Caitlin Clark?

On 16th June, the Fever and the Sky faced each other for their second match-up. In one of the plays, Reese, who raised to block, smacked Clark’s head unintentionally as she missed the ball. It took a hard blow on Clark, for which Reese was given a technical foul. The internet debated on whether Reese deserved a technical.

Shaq had a justification for Reese’s physical play style in an interview. The Big Diesel said, “She had to be tough. She is tough, and she applies that on the court. Some people don’t like that and it’s understandable, but she’s not apologetic about it” 

Moreover, Shaq does not want Reese to be apologetic or guilty about it. He continued, “I want her to stay beautiful, stay classy, and continue making a name for herself and taking care of her family,” which once again proves how big of a fan of Reese he is. So no wonder Shaq wants Reese to win the ROTY.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud, Caitlin Clark’s Olympic snub, and more, watch this video: