‘Enough is enough’: Shaq does not hold back his opinion on Angel Reese

Over the years, Atlanta Dream superstar Angel Reese has become one of the most polarizing players in sports, thanks in large part to her high-profile rivalry with the face of the league, Caitlin Clark. Given her role as a sort of villain to Clark, Reese has received a disproportionate amount of criticism and negative attention from fans and the media. Now, Shaquille O’Neal is tired of it.

O’Neal serves as a mentor not just to Reese, but to Washington Mystics rookie Lauren Betts, as well, and it’s safe to say that he is a bit defensive of the two young stars.

During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, Shaq did not hold back his true thoughts or opinion on Reese as he spoke out harshly against those who criticize her.

Shaq Defends Angel Reese

During his interview, Shaq did not mince words as he said that he wishes he could “punch some of the guys” who use their platform to criticize Reese.

“I wish I could punch some of these guys in their face that just, you know, pick on my Angel and pick on my Lauren, but I have to be professional,” O’Neal said during the interview.

O’Neal went on to complain that many of those criticizing Reese are “amateurs” who are criticizing Reese to attract attention to themselves. Needless to say, Shaq is not a fan.

“Because enough is enough,” O’Neal said. “The problem with your profession now is you’re letting amateurs come in, and amateurs think they have the same rights as you guys have. So you let all these guys come in, and they just say stuff off the wall, and they keep going, and then a lot of guys, when they get off air, they want to go to their page.”

O’Neal called out the criticism that Reese receives as “embarrassing” and “bullying.”

“They’ll take a hot topic and promote on their page to get their followers up, but you know, it’s just a lot of nonsense, and just a lot of embarrassing, and a lot of bullying sometimes. And guys bullying guys is fine, but I can’t let you just bully females just so you can get likes,” O’Neal continued.

Of course, throughout his long time in the NBA, Shaq knows about media criticism and how to deal with it. But it sounds like he wishes that he could protect Reese from it.