When it comes to defending Angel Reese, Shaquille O’Neal wouldn’t mind throwing hands. “RG3? Tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese and I’m going to punch you in your f—— face.” When Robert Griffin III allegedly shared a racist photo and even hinted that the Sky forward has hate for rival Caitlin Clark, Shaq was not quiet. But not every comment about the ‘Bayou Barbie’ needs addressing. That’s why the 4x NBA champion attended a Big3 game, despite the owner’s pro stance on Clark.
Rachel Nichols is doing the sideline reporting for Ice Cube’s Big 3. And for the first time, it was Shaquille O’Neal who came to watch the league. Despite Cube and his son’s attempt to tempt the Lakers legend to hoop in their league, his answer was always no. But he only attended the event, not to hoop but to support the team, and it was Dallas Power’s head coach who gave Shaq an ultimatum.
“I want to apologize to Ice Cube. This is a fabulous event. I can’t believe I’ve never been before. I was in Dallas, and Coach Lieberman (Nancy Lieberman) made me come. She texted me and said, ‘I better see you at the playoff game tomorrow.’ So I’m here to represent.” Now we know why the 4x NBA champion had to appear. Even though the league owner, Ice Cube, made a comparison between his ‘niece’ Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. For context, the iconic rapper and songwriter had offered the latter $5 million proposal back in 2024.
Clark and her team rejected the offer and chose the WNBA path, where she was the number 1 pick and won the ROTY. The comparison came when Ice Cube explained why Angel Reese’s potential BIG3 offer would be different. “She’s a great player,” he said of Reese. “The thing with Caitlin Clark, it was to unlock millions of dollars for the league because of her stardom. What our sponsors were telling us, they didn’t tell us the same about Angel Reese, so I don’t know if we can make that same offer.”
Cube concluded with, “All business — it ain’t nothing personal.” Let’s not forget that even before starting Big3, Ice Cube was a friend of Shaquille O’Neal. In fact, both of them have worked on several musical tracks. So, it makes sense why the Big Aristotle is not upset with the contractual comment for Reese.
Angel Reese was not happy when the last time Shaquille O’Neal was silent
It’s not just Ice Cube, but another close associate of Shaq aired some comments on the Chi-Town Barbie. It was none other than TNT analyst Charles Barkley. At the time, Chuck called out the entire WNBA for being “petty” towards Clark. Majority of the time, one could find Sir Charles and O’Neal arguing, but this the latter was quiet, which irked Reese.
The 4x NBA champion spoke about the matter on his Big Podcast with Shaq, “Angel actually called me. She was upset [and asked me,] ‘Why you didn’t say nothing?’ I said, ‘Angel, because Charles does what he always does.’” Yes, the Lakers legend has been very vocal about his problem with Chuck and used it in his defense. “He takes up a segment and by the time [it’s my turn, the producers say,] ‘Sorry we got to get to commercial.” That was the reason for him not talking about it on the air. Which led to Angel Reese calling him, and he had to explain.
Finally, for Chuck’s opinion, O’Neal said to USA Today, “Loudmouths like Chuck are talking about hating — it’s not hating.” Now, let’s wait if he respnds about the Big3 matter. Again, Ice Cube had no intention of bringing down Angel Reese with his comments, which Shaq may have understood. That’s why Big3 owner’s pro Caitlin Clark comment led to no beef between him and O’Neal. On the other hand, the Sky forward is doing pretty well even without the Big3 offer. She has already launched her own signature shoe with Reebok and is also the cover of this year’s NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition. Both of these achievements, CC has yet to accomplish so far.
The post Shaquille O’Neal Issues Apology to Ice Cube After Staying Silent on Angel Reese Big3 Controversy appeared first on EssentiallySports.
