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Debate

Is Shaq's $100k bet with Angel Reese a game-changer for WNBA's visibility?

A big question circulating the online Shaq-space is what is the big guy doing in Chicago. Is he performing in Chi-Town? Opening a new Big Chicken? Reebok or a show? Or take Angel Reese’s money? The last one definitely happened. Shaquille O’Neal struck a bet with his ‘niece’ and she took an expensive risk on his poor free throw rate. It cost Angel her entire rookie salary and more. But perhaps they can strike a deal in whatever they have cooking.

There has to be a reason why Shaq’s in the Windy City after all. A few spotted him at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Illinois. He’s not new in this part. Mount Carmel was one of the three filming locations of Blue Chips, the 1993 film Shaq starred in with Penny Hardaway. But nostalgia is not what brought him here.

Shaq and Angel Reese were in the school where they filmed the bet. Reese, all glammed up according to her Instagram Story, made a wager with the NBA legend. “$100,000 if you make this shot,” Reese says to Shaq when they’re on a court. Shaq makes that bucket and Reese whines in agony.

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I guess I owe him 100K,” read the text overlay. The Chicago Sky rookie’s first WNBA paycheck is under $76,000. That’s a big wager on Shaquille O’Neal’s 52% free throw rate. Reese had surgery for a season-ending wrist injury last month. But recently, she’s been contending with criticism of her shooting skills. She hasn’t let it get to her, especially with the big man in her corner.

 

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Reese’s stunning pastel look and Shaq’s presence though has opened the floor for some speculation. Fans have ideas of what brought Unc Shaq and Chi-Town Barbie together.

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Shaq and Angel Reese have a new collab in the works

What’s your perspective on:

Is Shaq's $100k bet with Angel Reese a game-changer for WNBA's visibility?

Have an interesting take?

The quickest assumption is that they’re filming a podcast episode of Unapologetically Angel. Reese’s podcast is under The Big Podcast Network and Jersey Legends which also manages Shaq’s own show. But her show is filmed in a different studio and there would be another reason to be in Mount Carmel High.

They could be filming a completely different show. Maybe they have something in store under Reebok. Reese is Shaq’s first signature athlete as the president of Reebok basketball. They debuted the Reebok Engine A, the brand’s first basketball performance sneaker in a decade, this season. Angel designed an apparel line and they’re working on her first signature shoe in the near future. Her Reebok career is fast-tracked under Shaq which makes it the most likely reason for this collab.

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Fans also speculate Shaq and Angel have a charity event they’re planning. But others also dismissed it quickly because of the lack of students and crowd around them. What do you think they have in store for us?