Rusty Weiss
Shaquille O’Neal is furious. He just unleashed a fiery rant against online trolls targeting WNBA stars Angel Reese and Lauren Betts.
One of the most intimidating centers in NBA history said he wishes he could “punch some of these guys in their face” for constantly picking on these women.
“Picking on” should be placed in quotes because what Shaq is referring to, ridiculously, is legitimate criticism, especially in the case of Reese, who is perhaps one of the worst shooters in the league. And Shaq can want to punch me in the face all he wants for pointing that out.
Shaq’s ‘Punch Them in the Face’ Rant Goes Viral
The NBA legend and Reebok Basketball president made his controversial comments during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, where he told host Suzy Shuster that “enough is enough” with the bullying.
“The problem with [sports media] now is you’re letting amateurs come in, and the amateurs think they have the same rights as you guys have. You letting all these guys come, and they say stuff off the wall, and they keep going,” he griped. “A lot of guys when they get off air, they want people to go to their page.”
O’Neal, a longtime mentor to Reese since her LSU days, blasted the influx of amateur sports commentators who stir up drama for clicks and followers, calling much of it “nonsense” and “embarrassing.”
“So what do they do to go to their page?” he asked. “They’ll take a hot topic and promote it on their page to get their followers up, but you know it’s just a lot of nonsense, and just a lot of [it is] embarrassing, and a lot of bullying sometimes. Guys bullying guys is fine, but I can’t let you just bully females just so you can get likes.”
The Real Irony: Shaq’s Version of ‘Bullying’
There’s a reason Shaq is so defensive of these two women. Both Reese and Betts are Reebok athletes under his oversight—Reese is doing well with the Atlanta Dream, averaging 13.1 points and 11 rebounds in her first season there after a trade from Chicago, while rookie Betts is putting up 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds with the Washington Mystics.
Criticism isn’t bullying, Shaq. You have to love proponents of the WNBA insisting their quality of basketball is on par with the NBA, but you can’t point out anything negative about a player who loves attention. Are they not professionals?
The irony here is that Shaq is trying to intimidate the critics of Reese and Betts. With violence, no less. Which is, in fact, actual bullying.
O’Neal went on to point out that the two players are “having fun” and “playing fabulous,” and he tries to stay out of their way unless they need his support.
“They know if they need me, they can call me,” he said.
