Having Celebrated Angel Reese’s Return, Shaquille O’Neal Applauds Caitlin Clark’s Historical NCAA Accomplishment

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal has, in recent weeks, continued to prove himself to be one of the biggest supporters of LSU star Angel Reese. Recently involved in an unexplained 4-game absence streak, Reese made a return to the team in the victory against the Virginia Tech Hokies. Shaq, whom Reese lovingly calls ‘uncle,’ took to Instagram to celebrate the announcement of her return to the squad before the game.

While Reese continues her progress, her NCAA rival Caitlin Clark broke yet another college record after a 35-point performance against the Iowa State Cyclones. Clark scored 35 of her team’s 67 points and became the first player in Division 1 history(both men’s and women’s) to register 3000 points, 750 assists, and 750 rebounds. The 21-year-old returned from the game with 9 rebounds and 5 assists as well, which was enough to complete the utterly insane achievement. 

While Shaq has been a huge supporter of Angel Reese, which is majorly due to her association with his alma mater, the big man has also praised Caitlin Clark multiple times in recent months.

This time around, O’Neal posted a snapshot of a tweet by CBS Sports, talking about Clark’s incredible achievement. The clip had initially been posted by Overtime WBB and was then shared by Shaq on his Instagram story.

Hence, while O’Neal might be a vocal supporter of Angel Reese, he appears intent on recognizing Clark’s potentially generational talent as well. Shaq was evidently impressed with her recent performance and wanted his followers to know exactly how big of an achievement it was. 

Caitlin Clark claims she has a life beyond basketball as well

Clark is undoubtedly one of the most impressive young players in college basketball. However, when asked, she presented a Nikola Jokic-style approach towards the sport, claiming that she had a life beyond it as well.

“I’m a competitor but when I step off the court, I love life. Basketball is not everything to me. It’s something I have fun doing. I love doing it,” she had said, before talking about how she loved winning, playing in front of big crowds, and was a fearless competitor who could sometimes grow feisty.

Clark’s success has obviously not been limited to the court. Her incredible rise means she has been able to sign a number of NIL deals, including one with supermarket company Hy-Vee. A recent collaboration with NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes resulted in the sale of 300,000 cereal boxes, which suggests that she has already started making impressive business decisions as well.