"He’s old enough to be her Dad, yikes," - the internet calls out Shaquille O'Neal over suggesting Angel Reese should dunk in "little shorts"

Image via Instagram/@angelreese5 @shaq
Image via Instagram/@angelreese5 @shaq

Shaquille O’Neal sparked controversy with his indecent remarks about the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) player Angel Resse.

During the latest episode of Resse’s podcast, Unapologetically Angel, the former Basketball player commented on the outfit the Chicago Sky star wore at the Wild n Out show.

"Imagine you in the same little shorts you had on at the Wild N Out show dunking, you know how many T-shirts you're going to sell?" he suggested during the podcast.

Shaquille’s comment on Angel’s outfit did not go down well with netizens, and it drew flak from many fans. Several furious users have expressed their discontent with the news.

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How did the internet react to the controversy?

The internet started flooding social media with anti-Shaquille posts and tweets. Some fans tweeted how Angel Resse looks up to Shaquille as a β€œfather figure” mentor. Someone opined that he has a daughter of a similar age, and such comments are β€œinsulting.”

One person mentioned:

"A 60 year old talking to a 22 year old they are supposed to me mentoring like that is weird."

A user said:

"Shaq is just Zion with rings!"

Another wrote:

"that’s so violating and just weird. she looked to that man as a mentor."

Someone else tweeted:

"Angel reese learned a painful lesson about men through shaq in real time, i fear."

Another person opined:

"Can’t men not make women uncomfortable it’s very tiring. The thing is I bet she assumed he’d be a lovely mentor and that’s all…now look."

Shaq’s other remarks on the podcast

Shaquille also shared his thoughts on lowering the rims in the WNBA. He proposed that this might draw more viewership and lead to a slight surge in the players' salaries. He picked up the reference from beach volleyball, as the net is slightly lower for the women in the game.

"The only thing that's missing is the dunk," he said. "I'm not saying lower it to 9 feet or anything, just a little bit."

Disagreeing with his comments, Resse said,

"I feel like it still wouldn't be good enough, it's never good enough. People always disrespect women regardless; they're always going to not give us the same value as a man."

Angel Resse and Shaquille O’Neal have forged a close bond over the years. The NBA legend has never missed an opportunity to praise the rising star. In one of his interviews with People Magazine, Shaq said he is β€œdescribed as Angel's understandable ear."

Resse has also appreciated O’Neil. In an interview with USA Today, Resse said,

"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.”

Shaq’s comments on objectifying female athletes once again brought up the topic of how a woman’s appearance counts more points in a game, leaving behind her talent and skills. Women are often coerced to look their best on the field and judged on their physical appeal.

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Edited by Priscillah Mueni