Shaquille O'Neal has admitted that he was once a Caitlin Clark hater because he was a fan of Angel Reese when the two played together in college.

In the latest episode of Unapologetic angelBig Diesel talked about the 2024 WNBA Rookie of the Year and how she is taking the league to a new level with her electrifying play. However, as Shaq praised Clark, he also admitted to having hatred towards her when she played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Shaq said he was a bigger fan of Reese, who played college basketball for his alma mater, the Louisiana State University Tigers, but acknowledged that Clark's skills were undeniable and worthy of recognition.

“She does things we’ve never seen before. I’ve never seen anyone do that consistently,” Shaq said. “There's a lot of girls in the WNBA that do it in spurts, but you know, the game I'm watching in the Final Four, I'm damned, and I was a hater because you know I am.” down with you, and I thought she wasn't going to hit that shot and “Bam!” For example, if I say ten times you don't hit the shot and you hit the shot, that means you're telling the truth.

Back in September, Shaq spoke about the need to support either Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “(Clark) is doing everything right,” Shaq told the outlet. “I've never talked about her (before) because Angel (Reese) is my friend, but I can honestly say – Caitlin Clark is real. I watch her play and try to get excited, but she makes the right pass, makes the right play. Girls try to beat her up and she doesn't really complain. She’s great, even at the beginning of her career.”

In a conversation with the Wall Street JournalReese revealed that she hoped to be Clark's teammate one day. The two have been competing against each other since they met in college, but Reese explained that they had been playing together since they were kids, creating a deeper bond than many might think.

“Me and Caitlin have played against each other since we were kids,” Reese said. “It's just a full-circle moment in how women are viewed when it comes to trash-talking, and in men's sports that's okay. So we're going to normalize that in women's sports too, so it's just super competitive. I think we've brought a lot of fans to this league and I thought we'll continue to do that and hopefully one day we can be teammates.”

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