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Long before she set foot on a WNBA hardwood, Indiana Fever<\/a> star Caitlin Clark<\/a> had already been anointed as the new face of women’s basketball.<\/p>\n That didn’t sit well with some of her colleagues and even some decision-makers in the league.<\/p>\n Fast forward to today, and she’s been dragged into countless controversies<\/a> off the court, not to mention her fair share of dirty plays<\/a> on it.<\/p>\n Clark has downplayed everything and has tried to keep the conversation focused on basketball<\/a>, but that’s clearly not enough anymore. That’s why NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal offered her a blunt piece of advice.<\/p>\n \u201cAll the greats have to go through what we call rites of passage. She\u2019s a fabulous player, but we\u2019re not giving you anything, ever. You have to earn it,\u201d Shaq\u00a0told<\/a> CNBC Sports. \u201cSo for her, she needs to toughen up, take those licks, and show them that, \u2018These licks don\u2019t bother me.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n O’Neal, who also dealt with his fair share of criticism at the time, believes that’s what Clark needs to do to elevate her status:<\/p>\n \u201cOnce she passes through that, the league will belong to her,\u201d O\u2019Neal continued.<\/p>\n Basketball-wise, there’s no doubt that Clark has what it takes to go down as one of the all-time greats.<\/p>\n Her reputation doesn’t necessarily follow from that, and perhaps she’ll have to do some soul-searching, take a hard look in the mirror or change her P.R. strategy to steer the conversation elsewhere.<\/p>\n With great power comes great responsibility, and if people aren’t willing to show her some respect, she’ll just have to take it.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nShaquille O’Neal thinks Caitlin Clark can own the WNBA<\/h2>\n
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