Even before becoming the first major athlete to sign a NIL deal with Shaquille O’Neal, who recently became the President of Basketball Operations at Reebok, Angel Reese has had a close bond with the Lakers legend. Shaq’s admiration for Reese proves how much the Diesel puts the LSU Tigers forward in high regard. And Shaq did nothing to negate it when he called Reese “the greatest athlete to come out of LSU” after the Tigers won the NCAA Championship last year.

Keeping in mind that the Cincinnati Bengals’ dynamic QB Joe Burrow and Shaq himself came out of Louisiana State, this is surely a bold statement to make. However, Shaq has never been shy of speaking his mind, when it comes to basketball, even though it puts “so much pressure” on the youngster.

In a recent video posted by ‘angelreeseupdate’ on Instagram, Reese could be seen expressing her thoughts on Shaq speaking so highly of her. Very humbly, the 21-year-old star said, “I mean, it puts a lot of pressure on me, and I feel like I haven’t done anything. I mean I did win the national championship with my teammates but it’s so much more that I want to do and bring to LSU.”

Reese also declared her next goal in the video, claiming to defend her title this year and “win another one”. Whether it’s calling her daughter “the best women’s basketball player” or Reese the best athlete out of LSU, Shaq does seem to be impressed by the new generation of athlete’s in women’s basketball. Even Reese has always spoken highly of the 7 ft 1′ centre, as evident in the following video, where she name-dropped the legend two times.

She picked Shaq when asked to name her most famous friend as well as her favorite LSU alum. Seeing the youngster share such a cordial bond with a legend of the game is surely heartwarming. Fans will hope that Reese will most probably emerge to be all the things that Shaq expects her to be, judging by her progress over the years.

Angel Reese is all set to become the face of Women’s sports
No doubt, Angel Reese deserved to be the first NIL signing of Reebok’s new President of Basketball Operations. This has even solidified the bond between the two and it might be a turning point in the Baltimore kid’s career. Boasting a net worth of around $400 million and four NBA championships, Reese seems to be under the able tutelage of Shaq.

Reese has an impressive stat line of averaging 18.7 points and 11.9 rebounds per game, taking LSU to its first women’s NCAA title. However, her impact isn’t limited to her on-court dominance, as she is dedicated to transforming herself into a brand, revolutionizing the sport even before entering the WNBA.

Another double-double for Angel Reese 🤩

@LSUwbkb pic.twitter.com/v7GnTYfHBS

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) November 10, 2023

Reese even adorned the October cover of SI and is the eighth-highest-paid college athlete in the world, inspiring women to make a place for themselves in the sport. Learning from the great Shaq, who is known for his brand endorsements and investments, Reese is also en route to becoming one of the stars of the game.