Candace Parker Ends Shaq Friendship With 2 Words as A’ja Wilson’s “Rim” Controversy May Sabotage TNT Bond

Shaquille O’Neal isn’t backing down from his suggestion to lower the rims in the WNBA for dunking. He garnered attention and sparked some debate when he announced the idea on Angel Reese’s Unapologetically Angel podcast. The Chi-Town Barbie was quick to dismiss the proposal, followed by A’ja Wilson more recently. But the 4x NBA champion’s persistence may just have cost him some ties.

“What is it gonna do? Honestly, what is it gonna do for us?” Wilson questioned, responding to Shaq’s suggestion to lower the WNBA rim. “That could change all of our shots,” she explained, offering a practical reason for rejecting the idea.

Then in response, on November 24, Shaquille O’Neal took to Instagram, sharing a photo of himself with Wilson alongside a caption summarizing their disagreement: “Shaq proposes lowering the rim in WNBA, but A’ja Wilson not having it.” The post quickly garnered attention, and Parker, couldn’t resist chiming in. She humorously commented, “Goodbye Shaq.”

The La Sparks legend has previously credited Shaq as her mentor during her time with TNT as an analyst. After Shaq had sent his wishes following Parker’s retirement, she had reciprocated the sentiment saying, “I love you too. I appreciate you, too… I appreciate you being a role model for me, not only on the court because we know what you do, but off the court, trying to be a business woman, like you, so thank you for continuing to raise the bar and be a great friend and partner for me.”

But looks like with Shaq’s continued attempt at bringing dunking to the WNBA just hasn’t been it for the 3x champion. He believes it could boost audience engagement but Parker has firmly rejected the idea, much like she shut down her opponents with her iconic one-handed, game-winning dunk in 2008. The intrigue here isn’t just in her dismissal of the idea or her critique of Shaq—it’s that the opposition comes from someone who has made dunking a cornerstone of her basketball journey.

For Parker, dunking is deeply tied to her legacy.

The two-time WNBA MVP, who ranks in the top 10 in league history for points, rebounds, assists, and blocks, retired earlier this year. Yet her path to greatness started nearly two decades ago when she became the first woman to win the McDonald’s All-American High School Dunk Contest in 2004. The stage? Carl Albert High School in Midwest City, where she shone as brightly as she would later in the WNBA.

via Imago

Many may know—or have forgotten—that Parker’s WNBA stardom traces back to her early dunking prowess. In 2006, she became the first woman to dunk in an NCAA tournament game. And twice at that. The dunks came 20 minutes apart. “I do think this was a legacy-defining moment,” she had told TIME magazine. She would finish her college career with a total of 7 dunks — the most until Brittney Griner would overtake through 2009-13.

But despite her close relationship with the art of dunking, she strongly opposes lowering the rims. She, alongside A’ja Wilson, argues that this would disrupt players’ shots and require a long adjustment period, making the change impractical.