Shaq Diminishes Caitlin Clark Hype Train as the TNT Host Finally Responds to Charles Barkley’s “Petty” Comments: “It’s Never One Person”

Charles Barkley, out of all the NBA icons who have stood up for Caitlin Clark, was the first to call out the WNBA and its players for what he believe is an ill-treatment towards the 22-year-old. The Philadelphia 76ers icon did it on live television too, around three weeks ago on Inside the NBA. LA legend Shaquille O’Neal sat there next to Barkley, with a mic in his hand, but he did not want to comment about his co-host’s remarks back then. Instead, he took his time and decided to use his show The Big Podcast, to call out Barkley. 

Barkley said during TNT’s road trip to Minnesota, “You woman out there, y’all petty, man…Y’all should be thanking [Caitlin Clark] for getting y’all a** private charters. All the money and visibility she’s bringing to the WNBA.” That stirred quite a controversy as a few notable WNBA players indirectly responded to Barkley by claiming they have also played a part in the league’s recent success.

Shaquille O’Neal is on the same page. He shared on his podcast, ” Charles Barkley went on this rant a couple weeks back…One person may have all the props, but it’s never one person. Don’t tell me we are getting new sponsorship because of Caitlin. What about Angel? What about Cardoso? What about my favorite Kelsey Plum? ” Clearly, the Big Diesel did not love his co-host’s rant on live TV. 

Clark is on the top of the rookie ladder. However, it might have blinded what the other rookies are doing this season. Angel Reese is second on the ROTY list with a rebounding average of 9.6. What has gone unnoticed is that she leads the league in offensive rebounds as a rookie. The same goes with LA Sparks star Cameron Brink. The 22-year-old is averaging 2.9 blocks, which is the second-highest in the league. The three have also been increasingly responsible for WNBA revenue through sold-out stadiums and merchandise.

Moreover, in the presence of A’ja Wilson, Breanna Stewart, and Kelsey Plum more recently, among others, the league has seen notable growth. Starting with 8 teams, the league has expanded to include 4 more and recorded $200 million in revenue in 2023; hinting that the growth has been in process for long.

This response from Shaq, though, happens to be a bit late. He had the option to call out Barkley on live television too. How did Shaq miss it?

Why did Shaq reply to Barkley, three weeks after his rant?

Shaq would never miss a chance to rip apart his TNT co-host. However, that was not the case this time. Guess why? The 4x champion did not understand Barkley’s rant initially. In the above episode of The Big Podcast, he asked his co-host Adam Lefkoe for some context. Shaq questioned, “What was he talking about? ‘Y’all girls are petty‘, what was he talking about?”

It’s a bit odd that Shaq missed the context back then. Anyhow, he has made his stance, which is contradicting to that of Barkley’s. “As a player, you don’t wanna be forgotten“, claimed Shaq, to be the reason behind the anger from the WNBA’s athletes lately.

Angel Reese was the first to respond to Barkley. After a tough win for the Chicago Sky, she tweeted, “And that’s on getting a win in a packed out [arena], not just cause of one player on our charter flight“. With Shaq’s support now, the battle has become tighter. 

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video: