Fact Check: Is Angel Reese related to Shaq? Viral uncle tweet debunked
Shaquille O’Neal and Angel Reese
Angel Reese led LSU to its first NCAA women’s basketball championship on Sunday. Reese, however, was criticized for taunting Iowa’s Caitlin Clark towards the end of the game.
Dave Portnoy and Keith Olbermann were just two of the personalities who called out Reese on Twitter. Portnoy called her a “classless piece of sh*t,” and Olbermann called her a “f***ing idiot.”
Shaquille O’Neal came to Reese’s defense by going after Portnoy and Olbermann. He had a great response to Portnoy, who has been accused of sexual misconduct in the past. The LA Lakers legend also told Olbermann to “shut up.”
Shoutout to Shaq for defending Angel Reese pic.twitter.com/Tw37LUe4Sw
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral)
April 3, 2023
Angel Reese noticed that Shaquille O’Neal defended her on Twitter and replied:
“Yeah my uncle Shaq don’t play bout me. Period.”
yeah my uncle shaq don’t play bout me. period.
https://t.co/BnAZ5XcwWb— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2023
Fans on social media quickly began to speculate if Reese and O’Neal are actually related. However, they are not related. Reese calling O’Neal her uncle was just a term of endearment.
But they do have one thing in common: They both attended LSU. Reese helped the Tigers win their first NCAA women’s basketball championship, while O’Neal was a superstar at the school from 1989 to 1992. Also, O’Neal’s son, Shareef, and daughter, Amirah, played for the men’s and women’s teams in recent years as well. The Hall of Famer regularly visits the campus, often for football games.
