LSU Star Angel Reese Has NBA Legend Shaq in Her Corner

In March Madness’s Final Four, big name LSU player Angel Reese’s workforce lost to Iowa. But Angel received one thing — an affiliation with Shaq.

Apr. 2 2024, Published 3:44 p.m. ET

The largest recreation of March Madness in 2024 was the extremely anticipated matchup between the LSU Tigers and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the girls’s NCAA tournament. Each workforce featured a rising basketball superstar — Angel Reese with LSU and Caitlin Clark with Iowa. And the game used to be a rematch of the 2023 nationwide championship sport, which LSU received.

After that, Angel began spending a large number of time with any other basketball legend, Shaquille O’Neal. In March 2024, Shaq escorted Angel at the LSU ladies’s basketball senior day rite. Considering his Hall of Famer standing and household title reputation, many are wondering if he and Angel are actually related. So what’s the reality?

Is Angel Reese related to Shaq?

Although Angel and Shaq appear to be rather shut, they’re no longer related in any identified approach. But their shared bond most probably comes from their shared historical past. Shaq is also an LSU alum from the ‘90s sooner than becoming a world-famous NBA player, so he incessantly attends LSU video games and outings. He and Angel first met at an LSU football game, and then they grew nearer in a mentor-mentee form of relationship.

When Shaq’s daughter Me’Arah visited LSU as a potential faculty option in February 2023, she stayed with Angel, which kickstarted Angel’s relationship with Shaq additional. While Angel was excited to rapport with a legend, Shaq was once taking a look to signal extra female athletes to Reebok, so he challenged her. “Bet you'll’t get 20 and 20,” he said. And Angel got 23 points and 26 rebounds in a win towards Mississippi State. After that, their mentorship was inevitable.

In April 2023, Angel lead LSU to victory in the NCAA tournament and gained herself the identify of NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player. After she turned into a family title to maximum sports activities fans, Shaq gave her some a lot wanted recommendation. "He just said, people are gonna hate me, people are not gonna like me, people are gonna feel some type of way because they wish they were me, they’re gonna judge me," she informed USA Today.

"He’s super inspiring to me," she added of her dating to Shaq, whom she called a "father figure" as neatly. "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. He doesn’t care about me as a player, he cares about me as a person."

Angel Reese and Shaq have a lot of similarities.

Not best did Angel and Shaq each move to LSU, but they have similar reputations on and off the court. This could give an explanation for how their mentorship grew so shut and why Angel invited him to escort her at a ceremony most often reserved for families. LSU assistant trainer Bob Starkey is one fo the few other folks to have worked with each Angel and Shaq.

"There’s really strong parallels in their personalities," Bob stated. "They love people, they welcome the spotlight that comes with stardom, they both have a great love for this school and an enthusiasm for life." And while each had been in the face of controversy, they're at other points of their careers.

While Shaq builds up Angel’s image thru her partnerships and encourages her to be genuine but sensible, Angel is still build up her professional basketball career. LSU’s loss to Iowa was indisputably a roadblock, however with Shaq in Angel’s nook, we doubt it’s the last we’ll see of her.

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