Shaquille O’Neal has been a vocal supporter of Angel Reese going back to her days at LSU. So, in the ongoing beef between Reese and former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III, it was obviously what side Shaq was going to be on.

During an appearance on the “Off The Record” podcast, Shaq sent a not-so-thinly veiled message to Griffin: back off Reese, or face consequences.

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“RGIII, tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese and I’m gonna punch you in your f—–g face,” O’Neal said. “It’s enough. Like, I don’t usually do stuff like this but just stop it bro.

“You got your job, you got your podcast. Leave my Angel Reese alone. I’m the one calling her and telling her not to respond. F—–g stop it. That’s the last time, okay?”

O’Neal is referring to RGIII’s tweet last week in which he called out and shared a racist photo edit of Reese that he saw online. Many took exception to Griffin amplifying the post, even if he said it was wrong, especially because, in the same tweet, he repeated his assertion that Reese “hates” fellow WNBA star Caitlin Clark.

Taking things a step further, Griffin claims members of Reese’s inner circle have confirmed as much to him.

“People in Angel’s inner circle called me and told me I was right and Angel Reese has grown to hate Caitlin Clark because of the media always asking her about Caitlin and being constantly compared to her,” Griffin said.

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Both Reese and her mother responded by publicly calling Griffin a liar.

“lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work,” Reese tweeted.

O’Neal also addressed the Reese/Clark hate claim made by Griffin during his podcast appearance that’s now going viral.

“It’s not real hate. You look around what’s going around in this real country, that’s hate. This is sports. I’m not supposed to like you,” O’Neal said.

“It’s a shame that all the stuff you did in your life, you’re going to be remembered for your podcast,” O’Neal added, taking another shot at Griffin. “You’re going to be remembered for your podcast. That should tell you you’re not that f—–g great.”

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O’Neal also referred to himself as Reese’s “protector.” The two have had a close relationship for years, as both are LSU alums, and O’Neal helped recruit Reese to Reebok before she turned pro.

“[She’s] really a nice, beautiful young lady. But when you’re in this thing of ours, you have a play a certain way and you have to be a certain way,” O’Neal said last month about his advice to Reese on how to handle criticism. “A lot of times, they, if they don’t understand who you are, they misconceive. But I tell her all the time, ‘Don’t worry about that.'”

Shaq Threatens Former NFL Quarterback, ‘Just Stop It’ first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 15, 2025