Shaquille O’Neal, a legendary player in the NBA, believes that LSU standout Angel Reese has earned the right to talk trash after guiding her team to victory in the 2023 NCAA championship.
“When you’re a champion, you’re allowed to TYS: talk your stuff,” O’Neal tells PEOPLE of Reese, 20, after she was heavily criticized for taunting during Sunday’s title game, which LSU ultimately won 102-85. Reese was criticized for her actions during the game because LSU ultimately won the game.
According to O’Neal, who believes that this year’s women’s Final Four was “the best Final Four in the history of sports,” he personally reached out to Reese in order to reassure her that she does not need to be concerned about the critics.
“I chatted to Angel yesterday. I greeted them with, “Hello, you’re a champion. Have a good time and revel in your status as a winner.'”
O’Neal claims that internet trolls “are making a big deal about” Reese’s celebratory taunt, and that the fact that Twitter users are “calling people names” is the reason why the NBA icon has a problem with the platform that is owned by Elon Musk.
According to O’Neal, this is one of the major drawbacks of using Twitter: “Everyone gets to share their opinion.”
The NBA on TNT analyst was the first to come to Reese’s defense after the game on Sunday. He did so in response to a tweet by sports reporter Keith Olbermann, who had called Reese a “idiot” for her taunts to Clark. Olbermann’s tweet received widespread backlash. On Sunday, O’Neal posted on Twitter the following message: “Shut your dumb a— up and leave Angel Reese alone.”
The tweet was retweeted by Reese, who added the comment “Yes, my great-uncle Shaq does not make fun of me. period.”
When Reese entered the podium for her postgame news conference and delivered a compelling statement about supporting the girls who look like her, she didn’t need anyone to defend her since she already had a strong reputation.
“The entire year, I was subjected to criticism regarding my identity. I don’t seem to fit into the story. The category that you all want me to belong to is not one that I can easily fit into. I’m not street enough; I’m also not ghetto enough. You told me that every day for an entire year. Nevertheless, when other people do it, none of you say anything about it.”
“Thus, I am writing this for other young women who share my appearance and who are eager to advocate for the causes in which they believe. It is absolutely and unequivocally you. Tonight, it was far larger than I was. I feel great joy. I want to think I contributed to the development of women’s basketball.”
The NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award for the 2023 competition went to Reese. According to Sporting News, she recorded a double-double in each and every game that she played.
