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Shaquille O’Neal Hits Out at Gender Pay Gap in Basketball: “Certain Guys That Are Not Worth It Are Making $40 Million. And Then You Got the Girls Making $700,000. That’s Not Right”

Published 01/31/2022, 3:30 PM EST

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Lakers legend Shaquille O’Neal is an inspiration for many individuals worldwide. Both on and off the court, he has carried himself with utmost dignity and respect. Following his illustrious NBA career, the 49-year-old is excelling as a businessman and analyst.

For the longest time, Shaq has also been an advocate of gender equality and equal pay. This has gained him large-scale applause. Recently, O’Neal expressed his belief with regard to equal pay yet again.

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For around two decades, Shaquille O’Neal bossed the NBA. With so many iconic performances, along with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaq went on to win 4 NBA titles. After retiring, the now 49-year-old became an entrepreneur-businessman, and he also works as a leading analyst for the league.

He does numerous interviews and remains one of the most popular figures in the NBA world. Fearless with his opinions, the 15-time All-Star has lashed out at the gender pay gap in the sport.

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Shaquille O’Neal destroys pay gap in basketball: ‘Not right’

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Like in many other sports, there is often a disparity in the pay between men and women in basketball. According to Adelphi University, there is a considerable gap between the average salaries of NBA and WNBA players. As they have estimated, NBA stars earn roughly $8,321,937 and the WNBA athletes get $75,181. Recognizing the same, Shaquille O’Neal ripped apart the controversial difference.

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Appearing in an interview for ‘The Queen of Basketball’ documentary, Shaq evaluated the gender pay gap.“There’s no reason why certain guys that are not worth it are making $40 million. And then you got the girls making $700,000. That’s not right. Something needs to be done about that,” analyzed the former powerhouse legend.

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Do you agree with what the great Shaq had to say? He definitely has a point, as the female stars are shining bright in the world of basketball. Leave your personal thoughts in the comments below.

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Written by:

Sankalp Harikrishnan

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Sankalp Harikrishnan is an NBA and Tennis writer at EssentiallySports. He aspires to pursue Sports Journalism and has represented his institution in cricket, badminton, soccer and table tennis. Sankalp idolises Roger Federer and Stephen Curry, and has an inherent love for statistics.
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