The WNBA star, who has described O’Neal as “a father figure,” appeared uncomfortable after the NBA alum’s comments
Shaquille O’Neal is facing criticism after making comments about an outfit that WNBA star Angel Reese recently wore.
In the Oct. 24 episode of her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, the 52-year-old retired athlete, who has previously discussed his close bond with Reese, 22, discussed imagining the Chicago Sky forward dunking a basketball in a pair of “little shorts.”
While discussing how lowered rims could impact the WNBA, O’Neal said, “Imagine you in the same little shorts you had on at the Wild ‘N Out show dunking,” referring to the shorts Reese wore while making a cameo at the Wild ‘N Out Live Tour’s Chicago stop earlier this month.
“You know how many T-shirts you’re gonna sell?” he asked before adding, “You’re tripping.” In response, Reese appeared to roll her eyes, laugh uncomfortably and say, “Oh my god.”
“What? Them same little shorts you had on at Wild ‘N Out …” O’Neal continued before Reese attempted to cut him off and change the topic.
“Okay. Alright. Alright. Alright. Alright,” she repeated.
Before moving on from the topic, however, the NBA alum clarified that he wouldn’t buy the theoretical T-shirt himself, telling Reese that she is “gorgeous.”
“You’re not beautiful or good-looking — you are gorgeous,” he said. “There’s a lot of gorgeous women in the WNBA.”
Following O’Neal’s episode, he faced backlash online for his comments and how uncomfortable they seemed to make Reese.
One post on X, with nearly 100,000 likes reads, “Angel reese learned a painful lesson about men through shaq in real time, i fear.”
Another post called out the retired athlete for “sexualizing Angel Reese when he’s 30 years her senior and has kids older than her.”
A rep for O’Neal did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
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Earlier this year, Reese described O’Neal — who escorted her and her mom during LSU’s senior day celebration — as “a father figure” while speaking with USA Today.
“He’s super inspiring to me,” Reese told the outlet. “He’s so genuine, he’s been there for me through tough times. He just gets it, and there’s not a more perfect person for me to be tight with.”
“We have fun, and if I need anything, he would help me … and he would do that even if I never played basketball again,” she continued. “He doesn’t care about me as a player, he cares about me as a person.”
