Shaquille O'Neal weighs in on Caitlin Clark situation, calls hard fouls a rite of passage

NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal knows a thing or two about getting fouled. During his NBA career, O'Neal faced punishment from some of the meanest big men around. Due to his spotty free-throw ability, O'Neal often found himself subject to some pretty rough and obvious fouls from defenders.

That makes O'Neal uniquely qualified — in his opinion, at least — to talk about Caitlin Clark's current situation in the WNBA. Clark has been the subject of some particularly hard fouls this season, causing all manner of people — whether qualified or not — to weigh in on how the WNBA should protect one of its biggest stars.

O'Neal doesn't see it that way, though. To O'Neal, what Clark is facing is something all the greats endured early in their careers. During an interview with CNBC, O'Neal said all the hard fouls and rough treatment against Clark are "rites of passage" that talented players have to overcome.

"All the greats have to go through what we call rites of passage. She's a fabulous player, but we're not giving you anything, ever. You have to earn it," O'Neal said. "So for her, she needs to toughen up, take those licks and show them that, 'These licks don't bother me.'"

That's not a surprising take from O'Neal, who — through previous comments — has made it clear he values toughness and sees hard fouls as part of the game. That's probably due to the era in which O'Neal came up in the NBA. In the early '90s, the game was more physical. Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan famously took beatings from the Detroit Pistons in the playoffs early in his career, to the point that the Bulls had to bring in enforcers in free agency to retaliate and keep Jordan safe.

While the NBA has cleaned up some of that, the WNBA still has some work to do. The league's officials have come under heavy criticism in recent seasons, with Clark expressing this year that she believes the refs need to be better.

She has her reasons for feeling that way. Clark has been involved in some rough plays since she entered the WNBA. As a rookie, she was involved in a particularly tough shoulder check from then-Chicago Sky guard Chennedy Carter. This season, Clark was on the receiving end of another flagrant foul when Alyssa Thomas appeared to push off Clark's throat after a play.

When asked about the situation, Clark pointed out that she's far from the only WNBA player to be involved in those types of plays. Ultimately, she put the onus on the officials and the WNBA, saying, "The league's just got to do better protecting our players."

O'Neal doesn't see it that way, believing WNBA players will eventually "invite [Clark] in and give [Clark] the throne" if she can endure the punishment now. Things might play out that way, but Clark's desire for the league to protect its players should probably carry more weight, as she's the one actually taking the hits right now.