Shaquille O'Neal always had his bet in the WNBA ROTY race. The Big Diesel really loves LSU and their alums which means that Chicago Sky's Angel Reese was always going to be his pick. However, he had to watch Caitlin Clark and the hot-handed Indiana Fever ball out against his favorite NBA rookie on the last day of August live on the sidelines. All of the great things that the Iowa basketball legend did amaze the Hall of Famer, via Lindsay Schnell of USA Today.

“When I see stuff on TV I’m like, okay. I’d like to see it in person. Well, I saw it in person. She can play. From a basketball standpoint, she makes all the right plays, gets everybody involved and she has that Steph Curry range,” Shaquille O'Neal said.

The Fever rookie has been absolutely phenomenal. Everyone expected her first year to be about acclimating to the league however she had different plans. Caitlin Clark has been blazing en route to leading the Fever rookie to a guaranteed playoff berth.

To put her greatness into perspective, she is now second among all rookies in NBA history in total points. With some games left on the Fever's schedule, Clark could very well notch 52 more points to usurp Seimone Augustus as the record holder.

Why hasn't Shaquille O'Neal given much love to the Fever superstar?

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Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark (22) shoots against the Chicago Sky during the first half at Wintrust Arena.
Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it's fairly simple. O'Neal clearly had Angel Reese's back heading into the season. This is because he knew that the race would be between the Fever and Sky stars. Since Shaq has watched the greatness of Clark live, he had a change of heart and was even impressed by her insane resilience on the court.

“Clark does everything right. I never spoke about her because Angel is my girl. But, I can truthfully say that Caitlin Clark is for real. I’m watching her play and I'm trying to be upset but she makes the right pass, makes the right play. Girls try to beat her up and she doesn’t really complain. She’s a great one, even early on in her career. She’s the real deal. Much respect for her and her family the way she grew up and the way she plays. All little girls should watch all the WNBA players play but those two are my favorite,” Shaq said.

With Reese no longer playing, it is very clear that Clark is going to take home the hardware over the Sky superstar.