Shaquille O’Neal Talks Angel Reese, NBA Draft, and Title Pressure Ahead of Power Moves Launch

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NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal joined Sports Illustrated on behalf of his new Netflix series Power Moves to talk all things basketball — from Angel Reese and the upcoming NBA draft to whether LeBron James and Luka Doncic are feeling the pressure to deliver a championship for the Lakers.

Shaquille O’Neal Reveals Advice to Angel Reese Amid WNBA Fan Criticism

NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal shared a strong sentiment he gave Angel Reese about handling unforgiving women’s basketball fans.

Jun 6, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Shaquille O’Neal looks on before the game between the Boston Celtics and the Dallas Mavericks in game one of the 2024 NBA Finals at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

It’s hard to argue that anybody in the WNBA receives more criticism from the women’s basketball community than Chicago Sky star Angel Reese.

This started back when Reese taunted Caitlin Clark during the 2023 NCAA national championship game. While this elevated both Clark and Reese to new heights in terms of their superstardom, it also set the stage for many fans to begin portraying Reese as a villain, which is a narrative that her persisted to this point in her career.

However, one person who has always had Reese’s back is NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, as he has acted as a mentor for her and signed her to Reebok last year.

And during a June 2 interview with Sports Illustrated’s Claudette Montana, Shaq spoke about what he tells Reese to help her handle any criticism sent her way.

“[She’s] really a nice, beautiful young lady. But when you’re in this [sport] of ours, you have a play a certain way and you have to be a certain way,” Shaq said when asked what people get wrong about Reese. “A lot of times, they, if they don’t understand who you are, they misconceive. But I tell her all the time, ‘Don’t worry about that.’

“She’s as good and even better than some of the people that y’all are kissing up to. But y’all don’t know it. But she knows it,” Shaq continued. “And in order to be great, you have to know you’re great.”

“She just needs to continue to… play her game, better her game, and don’t worry about the nonsense. I tell her all the time: ‘Don’t be looking at those comments.’ Because they don’t really have a voice, they just think they do,” Shaq concluded.

Shaq advising Angel to not read social media comments is something all athletes could benefit from, especially Reese.