{"id":39204,"date":"2025-07-26T17:31:10","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T17:31:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/39204\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T17:31:10","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T17:31:10","slug":"shaquille-oneal-wants-to-make-a-huge-change-to-the-wnba-pretty-girl-dunking-on-a-rim-im-watching-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/39204\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaquille O\u2019Neal wants to make a huge change to the WNBA: \u201cPretty girl dunking on a rim. I\u2019m watching that\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like everybody else, Shaquille O\u2019Neal has been watching the rapid rise in popularity of women\u2019s basketball with great interest. Viewership continues to rise – the 2024 WNBA season was the most-watched in history and this season\u2019s figures are already up on last year\u2019s.<\/p>\n

And Shaq feels there is definitely room for the women\u2019s game to grow even further, with ways to boost fan engagement, attract new fans and generate more revenue, so that the league\u2019s top stars can earn the kind of salary they deserve. <\/p>\n

WNBA stars should be earning more<\/p>\n

In episode 7 of the Off the Record podcast<\/a>, he told hosts Bailey Jackson and Lachelle Smith that he was shocked by the salary Aces center A\u2019ja Wilson is taking home, $200,000. \u201cThat\u2019s a disgrace!\u201d Shaq said, shocked. \u201cA\u2019ja Wilson should be making 10 million a year – easily. I didn\u2019t even know that. That pisses me off, c\u2019mon man. That\u2019s not fair\u201d. <\/p>\n

The solution to that – a move that would take the WNBA to a new level, the legendary Lakers center says, is quite simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe gotta lower the rim. You wanna make more money? Let Caitlin go baseline and fingertipped up, and everybody\u2019s gonna be, \u2018Can she dunk?\u2019 Then Angel the way she do her layup like that, let her turn her wrists over one time and throw it down. Come on, man. Trust me on this. I\u2019m telling you, I see it. Now if they didn\u2019t lower the women\u2019s volleyball net and move the golf tee, I wouldn\u2019t say it\u201c. <\/p>\n

The basketball rim is both the NBA and WNBA is set at a standard height of 10 feet, but Shaq believes that lowering it slightly for the women would be a revolutionary move.<\/p>\n

Dunking will transform the WNBA, says Shaq<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s the only thing that\u2019s missing from the women\u2019s game?\u201d he asked. \u201cWe can dribble, y\u2019all can dribble; we can shoot, y\u2019all can shoot… so listen, I\u2019m not saying lower it to clown rate, just a little, nine and three quarters. Just so the girls can dunk. We know y\u2019all can do what we can do, you don\u2019t have to show it anymore, we know. That\u2019s the only difference from our game”.<\/p>\n

To elaborate his point further, Shaq continued: \u201cDon\u2019t go from 10 feet to eight feet. Imagine A\u2019ja Wilson, the way she plays, drops that dunk… oowee! Bwoy! Everybody\u2019s gonna start to go crazy – and it\u2019s gonna inspire little girls more and it\u2019ll start to grow. Trust me – that\u2019s how we get you more money\u201d. <\/p>\n

Simple but effective, says Shaq, who ended: \u201cAnd do you know what? It shouldn\u2019t be a thing, let\u2019s just lower it and not tell people\u201d. <\/p>\n

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