Nationwide — Shaquille O’Neal is dealing with criticism after feedback he made relating to Angel Reese, a WNBA star and his mentee, throughout an look on an episode of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel. The 52-year-old former NBA legend referenced Reese’s outfit from a current Wild ‘N Out episode, sparking backlash on-line. O’Neal commented on her look in “those self same little shorts,” including that, hypothetically, it would assist her promote merchandise. The comment made Reese visibly uncomfortable; she tried to shift the dialog, saying, “Okay. Alright. Alright. Alright.”
In keeping with Newsweek, The alternate occurred as the 2 mentioned potential adjustments to WNBA guidelines, corresponding to decreasing the rim to permit extra dunking. Nevertheless, the main target shortly shifted to O’Neal’s remarks, which social media customers discovered inappropriate. One broadly shared publish on X (previously Twitter) with practically 100,000 likes remarked, “Angel Reese realized a painful lesson about males via Shaq in actual time, I concern.” One other person criticized O’Neal, saying he was “sexualizing Angel Reese when he’s 30 years her senior and has youngsters older than her.”
Reese has beforehand spoken of O’Neal as a “father determine,” expressing appreciation for his help via troublesome instances, particularly throughout her school profession at LSU. Earlier this yr, she shared, “He’s so real, he’s been there for me via robust instances. If I would like something, he would assist me…even when I by no means performed basketball once more.”
O’Neal has additionally publicly highlighted his protecting function towards Reese, stating final month that he views her as household. “I’ve 4 daughters. She jogs my memory of one in every of my infants,” he defined in an interview. He additional praised her dealing with of current controversies, encouraging her to “chill out” and commending her for managing troublesome conditions “superbly.”
Regardless of their shut connection, O’Neal’s current feedback have stirred questions relating to respect and bounds. Social media erupted with criticism, with one commenter stating, “I’m glad persons are recognizing Shaq’s creepy and perverted conduct.” Others argued that Reese’s selection of clothes doesn’t warrant uncomfortable remarks. To date, O’Neal has not publicly responded to the backlash.
