In 2023, Angel Reese gained national attention, and Shaquille O\u2019Neal has had her back ever since. Reese\u2019s journey to the WNBA has been anything but smooth sailing since taking LSU to a championship. The high expectations, becoming the face of Reebok\u2019s revival, and unfathomable online scrutiny came to a head when she missed four games for the Tigers. When she came back, it was with a lot of support from Shaq. Over two years later, O\u2019Neal shares his perspective on that.<\/p>\n
The Las Vegas Aces assistant coach, Tyrone Ellis, during the Straight Game Podcast, first commended Shaq for standing up against RG3 in the Reese drama. At this point, O\u2019Neal had to make it clear that his care for Reese goes beyond a fellow LSU alum. \u201cAngel reminds me of me. She plays how she plays, doesn\u2019t matter what people say, doesn\u2019t matter people think,\u201d Shaq said like a proud uncle. \u201cShe plays with a certain spirit, with a certain ferocity, and I respect that about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
When she was still at LSU, O\u2019Neal was only a phone call away from her. So when the pressure got to the reigning champ, Shaq intervened. \u201cWhen she was going through her stuff at LSU, you know what a lot of us don\u2019t understand that, if the coaches can get on us, he can control the team. So, her and her coach had a little spat. She was getting ready to go off, and I had to call and explain to her. I said, \u2018Listen, it\u2019s all part of the game. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. So these are things you have to go through.’\u201d<\/p>\n
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Angel Reese missed four consecutive games in November 2023. At that time, no reason was specified. Rumors claimed it was related to poor academic performance. Both Reese and O\u2019Neal have since spoken about the incident and more or less confirmed there was a locker room incident with Tigers Head Coach, Kim Mulkey.<\/p>\n
\nShaq to Ty Ellis:<\/p>\n
\u201cAngel Reese reminds me of me. She plays the game the way she does, doesn\u2019t matter what anyone says. I respect that.\u201d pic.twitter.com\/CQbICrmnLJ<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 Straight Game Podcast (@straightgamepod) August 26, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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All parties clarified that Mulkey didn\u2019t bench her, but it was Shaq\u2019s phone call that made Reese step back for her mental health. When she came back, one of the first things Reese did was thank Shaq.<\/p>\n
Angel Reese values Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s help<\/p>\n
Straight off their championship in 2023, the Tigers lost their season-opener to Colorado. Angel Reese came under fire then for seemingly being more focused on her online fame than the game. Reese had been announced as Reebok\u2019s first NIL athlete in October. She addressed the harsh commentary about her in a very emotional return to the court in December 2023.<\/p>\n
While saying she and Mulkey mutually decided she needed to prioritize her mental health, Reese said, \u201cI talked to Shaq every day. We facetime every day. He checked on me, called me every single day to make sure I was good. He told me every day, \u2018This too shall pass. This too shall pass. This too shall pass.\u2019 He\u2019s been here before. He knows what it takes. Just being able to have somebody like that was something that was good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shaquille O\u2019Neal<\/a> had been defending her publicly since the \u2018Can you see me\u2019 drama with Caitlin Clark. He told Ellis at the recent podcast, \u201cI kind of wanted to be her mentor and just, you know, help her get through things. What young people don\u2019t understand is the stuff that you\u2019re about to get into, we\u2019ve already been through. You want to get through it easier, listen to the OG when we give you some advice.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Reese, as per O\u2019Neal, has been very good at listening. Even before we saw it on Netflix\u2019s Power Moves, Angel heeded Shaq\u2019s principle to think beyond basketball. So she\u2019s been learning the ropes of the sneaker business at Reebok while also designing her line.<\/p>\n
Injuries and breaks have marred her sophomore season with the Chicago Sky once more. But her new sneakers, the Reebok Angel Reese 1s, are stealing the attention. Including when she debuted the \u2018Charm City\u2019 collection at her recent comeback. This time, she handled the attention<\/a> on her own without Unc Shaq\u2019s help.<\/p>\n