Shaquille O’Neal has sparked controversy online for comments he made to Angel Reese about her clothing.
The NBA legend, 52, appeared on Reese’s ‘Unapologetically Angel’ podcast this week, where he presented some controversial ideas to help WNBA stars level the playing field and earn as much as their counterparts. masculine.
As part of his suggestions, O’Neal referenced an outfit the Chicago Sky star wore during an off-court appearance and claimed it could be successful as part of a business strategy for her.
She brought out a gray long-sleeved ensemble and matching shorts that Reese wore to appear on ‘Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘n Out,’ an improv sketch comedy and battle rap show.
‘Imagine you’re wearing the same little shorts you wore on the show ‘Wild ‘n Out’ dipping. How many t-shirts are you going to sell? O’Neal suggested the 22-year-old during the podcast.
Shaquille O’Neal (L) has sparked controversy online for comments he made to Angel Reese (R)
The NBA legend referenced a T-shirt and shorts combo that Reese wore in ‘Wild ‘n Out.’
The suggestion prompted a defiant response from Reese, who immediately attempted to close the topic.
Reese raised his voice and exclaimed that he “can’t imagine anything,” but O’Neal wasn’t bothered.
—The same shorts you wore in ‘Wild ‘n Out’. …I’m just saying,’ he said.
Reese repeatedly interrupted by shouting, “Okay, okay, okay, okay,” to interrupt O’Neal and change the subject.
O’Neal’s comments sparked a backlash from fans online, with many claiming they were “creepy” or even “perverted.”
“We keep calling it weird, but it’s actually kinky and clearly Shaq is sexualizing her,” one fan posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The saddest part is that you can hear the disdain in Angel’s voice, but also her exhale of frustration at expecting him to be a trusted figure in her life, instead of being, as always, just another man.”
“It looked like Angel Reese was getting uncomfortable with Shaq here,” another account shared along with the clip of O’Neal’s comments.
Online basketball fans slammed the former NBA star, claiming his comments were ‘creepy’
“Shaq sexualizes Angel Reese when he’s 30 years older than her and has kids older than her,” one social media user wrote alongside a GIF of a woman gagging.
‘I don’t want ANY man around me who acts like Shaq did to Angel,’ another chimed in. ‘I’ll call you, tell you about a creepy, nasty man, and we can fight about it if we have to. I’m tired of you embarrassing me (…)’
Some fans responded to other social media outlets that suggested Reese inflicted the comments on herself with her clothing choice.
One fan defended Reese by posting, “I’m glad people recognize Shaq’s creepy, perverted behavior.” What I don’t like is that some people keep saying “well, if Ángel dresses like that, what do you expect?” “You can dress sexy and still not want to be sexually harassed.”
‘That man is supposed to be a mentor figure. A person I can trust. And I’m glad the video is out to show his inappropriate behavior,” they added in a separate post.
Another echoed his sentiment, saying, “I’m blocking any weirdo who says Angel Reese somehow caused Shaq’s perverted and inappropriate behavior by wearing shorts.” I’m tired of women being blamed for men’s nonsense.
Other social media users defended Reese, claiming she has the right to wear whatever she wants.
O’Neal and Reese had been discussing how NBA players earn much more than their female counterparts, with rookie sensation Caitlin Clark earning a base salary of just $76,535 this season.
And after Reese said the WNBA doesn’t pay its players enough, O’Neal revealed to his fellow LSU alum his vision for helping level the gender pay gap in basketball.
“I have a solution for that, no one is going to like my solution,” she began, before suggesting that the WNBA hoops should be lowered slightly so more women can dunk.
“A lot of people are going to comment, they’re going to hate this, but… that’s the only thing missing (in women’s soccer),” she continued.
Reese, who can dunk, was extremely disapproving of the idea, shaking his head and saying, “I hate it when men say that.”
The Chicago Sky center didn’t believe more dunks in the women’s game would make WNBA players pay more, adding, “People always disrespect women anyway.” They are not always going to give us the same value as a man.’
O’Neal also mentioned Clark in his explanation, saying: ‘It’s about seeing things you’re not supposed to see… Why do you think people love Caitlin Clark? Besides his skills?
Reese Wore a Long-Sleeved Top and Matching Shorts for ‘Nick Cannon Presents: Wild ‘n Out’
“She can shoot threes from the logo,” Reese said.
‘We’ve never seen that before. That’s my point,” O’Neal said.
However, O’Neal stated that WNBA action resembled a “high school game” unless certain players were involved, adding, “Our game is different because we do all the things.” Alley-oops…’
He also said, ‘A pretty girl diving into hoops, I’d watch her all day,’ which made Reese, who works with him at Reebok, laugh.
O’Neal was previously married to his ex-wife Shaunie Henderson, until the couple divorced in 2011.
O’Neal was previously married to Shaunie Henderson, until the couple divorced in 2011.
Shaunie Henderson claims Shaquille O’Neal was still ‘missing’ before divorce
Earlier this year, Henderson said the NBA legend kept “disappearing” and she’s not sure if she ever truly loved him.
Henderson and O’Neal married in December 2002 and share four children: sons Shareef and Shaquir and daughters Amirah and Me’arah. O’Neal also had a daughter, Taariah, from a previous relationship. Meanwhile, Henderson’s son Myles, also from a previous relationship, later took the center’s surname.
O’Neal filed for divorce in Miami in September 2007 after admitting that he was “not protecting (Henderson) or protecting those votes.” However, the couple reconciled about a year later, and Henderson told the Associated Press that they stopped the divorce process.
They dumped him again in 2009 before their divorce was finalized in 2011.