Shaquille O’Neal made his recent return to his alma mater all about its senior stars. The former Tigers legend escorted Angel Reese and her mother, Angel Webb during LSU women’s basketball senior day on March 3. The last time he was a senior day escort, it was for his own daughter, Me’Arah O’Neal at her high school senior day. It speaks of the close bond the Bayou Barbie has with the NBA legend.

Long before Angel Reese became Shaq’s first signee in his new role at Reebok, she had the big man in her corner. ‘Uncle’ Shaq’ defended her from negativity in public and was also mentoring her off the court. It warrants deep-diving into one of the best friendships to come out of LSU.

From ‘Uncle’ to ‘Father Figure’

Angel Reese is often on Shaq’s Instagram when he’s posting one of his hilarious antics, referring to him as ‘Unc’ or ‘Uncle.’ Even though Shaq played in LSU three decades before her, Reese has come to rely on him like a “father figure.” Ever since she won LSU its first NCAA championship in 2023, he’s helped her navigate the spotlight.

“He’s super inspiring to me,” Reese said about the All-American who played in LSU. A month ago, she referred to him as a father figure while expressing her plan to invite him to her senior day ceremony, an occasion usually reserved for the closest family members.

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Reese first came into contact with Reese in February 2023 when the Tigers’ reigning star hosted Me’Arah for an official campus visit. O’Neal challenged Reese to a 20-20 game. She went 26 points and 23 rebounds against Mississippi State on Febraury 23. Me’Arah committed to the University of Florida but Reese remains a close friend of the family.

He defended her during the ‘can’t see me’ debacle. Earlier this year, when Reese missed a few games, Shaq adviced her to stay off social media and focus on herself. While this mentor-mentee friendship is unmatchable, Reese also has to contend with some pressure in this.

Shaq ranks Angel Reese over him

On senior day, Reese didn’t rule out another season with LSU. After all, she has to keep a promise to Shaq. Since she is an NCAA champion unlike the 4x NBA champion, he named her the “best player to come out of LSU.”

As soon as he and Allen Iverson took over Reebok’s basketball division, they hinted at signing the “GOAT.” That turned out to be LSU’s GOAT herself, Angel Reese, who minted an NIL deal with Reebok in Ocotber. On the occasion, Shaq said Reese needs to stop playing it humble and win LSU another title.

“I mean, it puts a lot of pressure on me,” Reese said.about Shaq’s relentless trust in her. But she declared her goal is to, “win another one.” O’Neal has longterm plans for Reese beyond the NCAA. He wants her to thrive in the WNBA and even maybe own a part of Reebok one day. As Angel Reese is embodying Shaq in business and basketball, this might be a possibility.

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