Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s mentorship of LSU basketball star Angel Reese has sparked speculation about their familial relationship, particularly after Reese referred to O\u2019Neal as \u201cUncle Shaq\u201d in a social media post. The duo\u2019s close bond was further highlighted when O\u2019Neal came to Reese\u2019s defense against criticism from former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann.<\/p>\n
Last year, when Olbermann questioned Reese\u2019s actions on the court, O\u2019Neal swiftly defended her, earning widespread attention for his support. This interaction, along with Reese\u2019s affectionate reference to O\u2019Neal as \u201cUncle,\u201d led many to believe they were related. Additionally, in October 2023, Reese became the first athlete signed by O\u2019Neal under Reebok Basketball, of which O\u2019Neal is the President.<\/p>\n
Despite the speculation, Reese clarified that she is not related to O\u2019Neal by blood. Instead, she views him as a father figure and mentor who has supported her through difficult times. Reese emphasized O\u2019Neal\u2019s genuine care for her well-being, both on and off the court, highlighting his willingness to help her regardless of her basketball career.<\/p>\n
O\u2019Neal\u2019s influence extends beyond his basketball prowess; his charismatic personality and genuine concern for Reese\u2019s personal growth have endeared him to her. Their relationship reflects a deep bond built on mutual respect and support.<\/p>\n
As Reese embarks on her professional basketball career in the WNBA, she will undoubtedly continue to benefit from O\u2019Neal\u2019s guidance and support. Despite not being related by blood, their connection serves as a testament to the power of mentorship and the positive impact it can have on an athlete\u2019s journey.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Shaquille O\u2019Neal\u2019s mentorship of LSU basketball star Angel Reese has sparked speculation about their familial relationship, particularly after Reese referred\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":294,"featured_media":42899,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[3833,13701],"class_list":["post-42898","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-news","tag-angel-reese","tag-shaq"],"reading_time":"2 min read","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42898","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/294"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42898"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42898\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/42899"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42898"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42898"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.businessupturn.com\/usa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42898"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}