Shaquille O’Neal recently stirred controversy with remarks he made during an appearance on “Unapologetically Angel,” the podcast of WNBA player Angel Reese.
Shaq, a longtime friend and mentor to Reese, a forward for the Chicago Sky, discussed several ideas to enhance WNBA compensation and viewership, including potentially lowering the rim to encourage more dunking.
The conversation shifted at one point to Reese’s appearance at a recent event.
The 52-year-old Shaq commented on her outfit in a way some found unsettling.
“Bro, imagine you in those little ass shorts you had on at the ‘Wild ‘n Out’ show, dunking. You know how many T-shirts you gonna sell, you trippin. What? What? Those same little ass shorts,” he said.
The 22-year-old Reese replied: “Alright, alright, alright.”
Needless to say, the exchange went viral on social media…
“he’s too damn old to not know when he’s making someone uncomfortable. gross.”
“that’s so violating and just weird. she looked to that man as a mentor.”
“Can’t men not make women uncomfortable it’s very tiring. The thing is I bet she assumed he’d be a lovely mentor and that’s all…now look.”
“Home girl is visibly uncomfortable.”
“This is creepy af omggg, Shaq exit stage left!!”
“She wants to have it both ways but she can’t, either she’s going to have to pick a side or accept that she objectifies herself and will be seen as such.”
“I’m glad she gave him that attitude, like seriously, what was he thinking?”
“His daughter prolly the same age or around the same age as Angel. Just gross behavior.”
Reese’s friendship with Shaq developed as her profile soared following LSU’s national championship victory in 2023, an accomplishment that elevated her to national prominence.
In April, Reese was drafted by the Chicago Sky as the No. 7 pick and went on to average 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in her rookie season.
Shaq, who is also an LSU alum, has been an outspoken supporter of Reese, once calling her “the school’s greatest athlete” after she brought LSU its first women’s basketball championship title.
Shaq later admitted that WNBA superstar Caitlin Clark is the better player of the two.
