Shaquille O’Neal used a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show to defend Angel Reese and Lauren Betts, saying the online criticism around both players had gone too far. He said he was speaking as a mentor and as someone who would not let people bully women for attention.
The comments landed now because Reese remains one of the most watched names in the WNBA after being traded to the Atlanta Dream this offseason, and she is averaging 13 points and 11 rebounds in her third season as a pro. Betts, meanwhile, entered the league as the No. 4 overall pick after winning the national championship with UCLA and has been adjusting to the pro game since signing with Reebok in April.
O’Neal did not soften his language. He called parts of the public debate embarrassing and bullying, said some people chasing sports talk were only trying to pump up their own follower counts, and added that he could not let people bully females just to get likes. At one point, he said he wished he could punch some of the critics in the face, but then said he had to be professional. He also said Reese and Betts were having fun, playing fabulously and determined to do great things.
That defense carries extra weight because O’Neal is not speaking from a distance. He is president of Reebok basketball, where Reese became a signature athlete to help unveil the company’s first basketball performance shoe in more than a decade, and Betts also signed with the brand this spring. Reese and O’Neal also know each other from her LSU days, when he became an early public supporter after the backlash that followed her taunting of Caitlin Clark during LSU’s run to the NCAA title.
There is also an awkward history underneath the public praise. O’Neal faced backlash in October 2024 after suggesting on a podcast that Reese could sell more T-shirts by wearing little shorts during a discussion about lower rims in the WNBA, and he acknowledged that earlier remarks about her had been a mistake. He said Reese told in 2024 that she viewed him as a father figure, but this latest defense also reads like a bid to reset a relationship that has already been tested in public.
For now, O’Neal says Reese and Betts have his number if they need him. The bigger question is less about whether he will keep speaking up and more about how much of this protection comes from mentorship, and how much comes from the business ties he now has to both players.
