Amid the heavy debate of Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark, Shaquille O’Neal has always known which side to pick. CC may have won Rookie of the Year, and while Shaq respects her talent, he’s always on Reese’s side. So much so that he trusts not only her basketball skills but also to revive Reebok in the basketball world. And seems like his bet is about to pay off.

As the President of Basketball Operations, O’Neal recruited the Chicago Sky forward to the fast-growing brand in 2023. Reese, who will have her own signature shoe line by 2026, believes in the campaign’s message – “Sport is Everything—a spirit that celebrates passion, commitment, and individuality.” A newly released advertisement from the $2.5 billion worth brand says it all, starring Angel Reese, Justin Fields, Shakur Stevenson, Anuel AA, and more.

In an official statement to Reebok, Reese said, “Whether you’re a world-class athlete, gamer, chef, or musician, sport is about anything that excites you—it’s a community we can all share.” Her humble and mature response as the face of the sports athleisure company is already putting forward the idea that as the brand makes a comeback in sports with Angel Reese repping it, Unc Shaq can rest easy about his decision!

Only the second WNBA player to receive a signature shoe from the brand after Lexie Brown, Reese and Reebok renewed their partnership in late October. She had originally been signed in college as the brand’s first major NIL signing amid their resurgence in the sports apparel arena, with Shaq manning the helm in basketball.

On her podcast Unapologetically Angel, the Chi-Town Barbie revealed, “We’ve already kicked off the design process, and it means the world to me to have Reebok’s full support and confidence with this shoe and overall partnership. A signature shoe has always been a dream of mine, and I want all the young girls out there to remember that anything is possible.”

But while this continues the partnership of Reese and her mentor Shaq, it was actually not the 4x champion whose idea it was to sign the then-LSU senior.

Shaq credits ‘favorite’ office colleague for signing Angel Reese

Shaquille O’Neal has been mentoring Angel Reese since her Lady Tigers days and has seen her development from a talented college player to a fearsome pro. Never once wavering in choosing her in the narrative that pits her against Caitlin Clark, Shaq is the number one person Reese goes to for advice for on and off-the-court problems. But their Reebok connection was surprisingly not initiated by him.

“I wish I could take all the credit. It was one of my favorite people in the office,” O’Neal said at the Black Footwear Forum in Detroit on Sept 27. “She says, ‘You have a relationship with Angel, we should sign her.’ Basically, I did what she said. I called Angel, Angel was interested. I said, ‘Angel this is Portia. Portia, this is Angel.’”

While their professional relationship has found a new outlet, all that remains is for Shaq to appear as a guest on Unapologetically Angel one day! After all, Dwyane Johnson has done it, and Reese has the whole W offseason to convince her (favorite?) NBA player!