Shaquille O’Neal is one of Angel Reese‘s biggest cheerleaders. He declared her the best athlete in LSU history after she won the 2023 NCAA title and is now backing her to win the Rookie of the Year award over Caitlin Clark. The Chicago Sky star’s ‘uncle’ has also signed her to an endorsement deal with Reebok and has confirmed that she’ll get a signature shoe soon.
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During the WNBA All-Star Weekend, Reese about her experience with Reebok. She revealed that it’s been exceptional, especially with O’Neal at the helm. The rookie said,
“I love Reebok. Shaq has been amazing to me. When I first met him, he said, ‘When are you signing to Reebok?”
She also confirmed that her first signature shoe is in the works and will launch soon. O’Neal, the president of Reebok Basketball, shared the clip on his Instagram stories, seemingly confirming that she’ll join a handful of WNBA stars to get their own signature line.
It's happening! Angel Reese is getting her signature shoes pic.twitter.com/IXx0Qtu2Jo
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) July 21, 2024
O’Neal met Reese when he visited the LSU campus with his daughter Me’Aarah, who was scouting colleges ahead of her high school graduation. After meeting the center, the Hall of Famer prompted her to sign with Reebok before eventually handing her an NIL deal one week after he was announced as the president of their basketball division.
Reese’s deal with Reebok is another chapter in her rivalry with Caitlin Clark. The Indiana Fever star is signed with Nike, which means that both the Rookie of the Year frontrunners are now contracted to the competing brands. Recently, the Sky rookie teased the look of her upcoming Reebok collection.
She posed with her Premier Road 6 sneakers in the pre-game tunnel walk before the Sky’s against the Las Vegas Aces. The shoes have a white color scheme with a strip of sky blue color, matching the color of her team’s home jersey.
She also donned custom sneakers made exclusively for her on her WNBA debut. Reese wore pink and white colored Reebok Solution sneakers with “Angel” written on the tongue and “Unapologetically Angel” written on the sock liner. It will be interesting to see how her shoes will sell once they hit the stores. It can potentially change the women’s sneakers game for good.
