Shaquille O'Neal is trying to convince WNBA players that a lower rim height is in the best interest of women's basketball.
O'Neal was responding to Las Vegas A's A'ja Wilson's comments on the Roommates Show podcast, which features NBA players Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and host Matt Hillman.
Hart began his segment by asking WNBA players what was the boldest piece of unsolicited advice they've ever received.
Wilson said candidly that her feed and social media responses included “advice like that” throughout.
Wilson seemed unhappy with the online reaction, telling viewers, “Who asked you?”
Hillman has since sparked a ubiquitous discussion about lowering WNBA players' rims, and while he wouldn't say how low, most discussions suggest a range from 3 inches to the entire foot. .
Wilson completely ignored the validity of that argument.
“What does that really do for us?” she asked. “I would rather make adjustments in the offseason to say, 'Okay, let's focus on this jump, vertically, as hard as we can,'” she says. told the hosts.
“Compared to lowering it an inch? That could change all of our shots. Don't you guys understand that?”
The Aces player doesn't seem to think adding a dunk to the women's game is what the audience wants, warning that a dunk in 2025 should get a good reaction.
“Next year I might be dunking…you guys better go crazy,” she joked.
Wilson ended the corner by claiming, “Lowering the rim is just a very childish argument.”
However, at least one NBA legend disagreed. A few days later, Shaq took to his Instagram page to directly address Wilson's claims.
“60% of the fans[s] dunked and said [is] What They Like” O'Neill I wrote. “The WNBA doesn't have anything like that. So they make a lot less money. You're just trying to get the $300 million you deserve,” he added, then directly tagged Wilson's profile. I attached it.
WNBA legend Candice Parker responded to O'Neal's post with “Bye Shaq,” to which O'Neal said adding dunks to the WNBA All-Star Game would send viewership through the roof. Ta.
“People always disrespect women, no matter what.”
This isn't the first time O'Neill has proposed changing his height. In October, the former Laker told WNBA player Angel Reese that women's rims should be a few inches lower.
Reese quickly replied, “I don't like it when men say things like that.''
Shaq then elaborated on the similarities between the two leagues, but also noted that “the only thing missing is the dunk.”
But Rees didn't want to argue, and according to the Daily Mail, the discussion turned to the following: sexism.
“People always disrespect women, no matter what. [They’re] They don't always give us the same values as men. ”
This topic of discussion seems to have angered at least some of the WNBA's most prominent players, but a key element of the proposal is figuring out how to bring more excitement to the league and, in turn, generate more revenue. That's true.
Even after its biggest season, the WNBA is estimated to have lost about $50 million, far more than it loses in a typical year. Many of the league's players also don't seem to want to deal with the reality that their league is receiving subsidies, including Wilson.
On the same podcast, Wilson blamed investors for not putting enough money into helping the league grow.
“If no one is willing to invest, if no one is willing to invest, and not just talk about it, then you will never grow.”
She said the constant conversations among players around her are about finding investors who “put their money where their mouth is,” rather than clichés and fake interest. Ta.
Unfortunately for Wilson, ignoring proposals, making demands, and playing identity politics, despite not producing any revenue, is exactly the type of behavior that creates committed investors.
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