If you wanted a guardian angel looking over you and Shaquille O’Neal was available, you would take that deal in a heartbeat. The former Los Angeles Lakers star is one of the greatest basketball players to have ever played the game. So, when Shaq is willing to go to any length to protect the Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese, you know he means business. And it turns out he’s been looking out for her for a long time now.
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Earlier last month, when former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III claimed Reese hated Caitlin Clark because she was constantly being compared to her, Shaq took notice. He actually threatened to punch Griffin in the face. Even as WNBA supporters have claimed that the league is getting more popular than ever before due to Clark, Shaq has been quick to squeeze Reese’s name into the conversation.
Needless to say, he’s very protective of her. Making an appearance on the Straight Game Podcast yesterday, Shaq claimed that Reese reminded him of himself and his peers. He believes that Reese plays the way she plays without caring much about others’ opinions. “She plays with a certain spirit, with a certain ferocity,” he said.
He also revealed that there was a time when he came to her aid and fixed a problem that she had with her coach at LSU. “So when she was going through her stuff at LSU, a lot of people don’t understand this but if the coaches can get on us, he can control the team. So her and her coach had a little spat and she was ready to go off and I had to call and explain to her,” he started.
“I said, ‘Listen, it’s all part of the game. When you’re the best, heavy is the head that wears the crown. So, these are the things that you have to go through.’ So I kind of talked her off a ledge and I kind of wanted to be her mentor,” the 53-year-old added.
Shaq also revealed that she has been taking his advice quite well. “What young people don’t understand is that all the stuff you’re about to go through, we have already been through. So if you want to get through it easier, listen to the OGs when we give you some advice. So she’s been listening very well,” he explained.
The former Miami Heat star, however, made it clear that he doesn’t always come to her defense, but he steps in when people are making pointed remarks about her.
Reese must undoubtedly feel grateful to have Shaq on her side. And rightly so. She has even stated that O’Neal is a father figure to her.
