SUMMARY
- Angel Reese once called Shaquille O'Neal her uncle while he defended her from online hecklers.
- Reese and O'Neal aren't related by blood, but they both have a connection through LSU.
Shaquille O’Neal has been a positive role model for several individuals across the world. The former NBA star has always motivated his supporters even if they aren’t budding athletes. Based on his career alone, he happened to be one of the most dominant forces in the sport of basketball which duly accredited his resume as well. O’Neal’s personality always shined through a lot of drama and he aims to spread positivity regardless of the situation.
Right now, one individual looks up to him a lot. LSU’s Angel Reese has been one of the best college athletes around for a while. She helped lead the LSU Tigers to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Championship game. As a result, she always won the NCAA’s Most Outstanding Player Award as well. Shaq often supported her through thick and thin.
Shaquille O’Neal is an LSU alumnus and is widely considered the best athlete out of the institution. It goes without saying why people call him the GOAT of the institution as he ended up winning 4x NBA Championships along with multiple other individual accolades as well. Reese once acknowledged him as her uncle on social media. This led fans to wonder if the two athletes are related.
Shaquille O’Neal is one of Angel Reese’s biggest supporters
During a game that took place between the Tigers and Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes last year, Angel Reese made a gesture to taunt Clark on the court after her team lost in the championship rounds. This sparked a lot of criticism and Reese was labeled as “classless” by fans. Shaq personally replied to a few of them saying, “Shut your dumb ass up leave angel reese alone.”
yeah my uncle shaq don’t play bout me. period. https://t.co/BnAZ5XcwWb
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2023
Reese replied to the Los Angeles Lakers legend saying, “Yeah my uncle Shaq don’t play bout me. period.” While many were led to believe that they were related by blood, this was far from the truth. Shaquille O’Neal isn’t related to the basketball star but is simply just being a good mentor while she excels in the sport. Reese has also publicly acknowledged Shaq’s support multiple times in the past.
After the Tigers commenced their 2023-24 NCAA campaign, Reese went on a brief hiatus to deal with personal issues. She eventually returned and told the media that Shaquille O’Neal was by her side, motivating her to get back up on her feet. While he isn’t having her best season averaging 19.9 points and 12.1 rebounds, the Tigers are certainly winning. They rank second in the Southeastern Conference at the moment.