Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal is facing backlash on social media after he made comments on WNBA star Angel Reese’s ‘little ass shorts’, which many listeners have labelled as “creepy.”
During Thursday’s episode of “Unapologetically Angel,” which is Reese’s podcast, O’Neal, who is a friend and mentor to Reese, discussed potential improvements for WNBA compensation and also suggested the need to possibly lower the rim to encourage more dunking in the women’s league.
However, the conversation shifted to Reese’s appearance and an outfit she wore at a recent event, which some social media users deemed “revealing.”
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The 52-year-old star said, “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.”
Shaq’s words quickly went viral, with social media users calling him out as Reese herself appeared visibly uncomfortable with the comments made, and this also further fueled the criticism.
“Come on, Shaq, wtf. You’re 30 years older than her and supposed to be her mentor,” one Instagram user commented on The Shade Room’s post sharing the clip.
“It’s not the comment itself, it’s the fact he didn’t catch her discomfort with it.” another wrote.
One user on X also left his thoughts on the podcast and said: “creep af.”
In the same video, Shaq then went on to play down talk of a romantic relationship with Angel Reese and said he only sees her ‘as a daughter’, who he shares lots of love for.
Angel Reese got upset with Shaq after he kept fantasizing about her Dunking in the tiny shorts she wore at the Wild 'n Out event ???? pic.twitter.com/LHaDJeOSTY
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) October 26, 2024
“How many times have I told you I love you?” Shaq asked. Reese then answered and said: “A lot”.
“So if a person knows me he’s like… Shaq is Angel’s mentor, he would never even cross that line with her. Why are you saying you love her? Well I do love her, I just love her as a daughter. I love her as a beautiful black woman making it. But obviously you don’t know me, you don’t know me. You think I’m messing with Angel Reese? you don’t know me”, the former NBA star said.
As per a New York Post report, Angel Reese and Shaq formed a close bond after her rise to fame following LSU’s national championship win over Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes back in 2023.
Reese was selected No. 7 overall by the Sky in the WNBA draft in April, and averaged 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in her rookie season.
O’Neal also played collegiately at LSU and previously praised Reese as the school’s “greatest athlete” for delivering the first national title to its women’s basketball program.
