Shaquille O'Neal Tells Angel Reese He Knows He's 'Going to End Up Alone'

Mar. 15, 2025

Angel Reese; Shaquille O’Neal.Photo:John Shearer/WireImage; Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty

John Shearer/WireImage; Todd Owyoung/NBC/Getty

Shaquille O’Neal said, “probably not” when Angel Reese asked him if he thinks he’ll remarryThe retired athlete said, “Nobody can understand me because I’m weird” during the conversation about his love lifeO’Neal made headlines for the podcast appearance after a clip of him talking about Reese dunking in “little shorts” sparked backlash on social mediaShaquille O’Nealmade a surprising prediction about his future during a conversation withAngel Reese.O’Neal, 52, was a guest on 22-year-old Reese’s podcast,Unapologetically Angel,where the Chicago Sky star asked if he would ever “get married again."“Probably not,” O’Neal answered. “I’m gonna end up alone.”The former NBA star said, “I already know it,” and explained, “Because y’all be making rules up as you go along. There’s no handbook on how to be the perfect man or perfect husband.“O’Neal went on to explain his frustration for what qualifies as “cheating” in relationships and why he runs into trouble. “If I’m not physically seeing somebody — me, the Diesel — and I’m with you everyday and you know my schedule, it shouldn’t matter what I’m doing on my phone. It’s not cheating. And then you can’t tell me that’s worse than cheating. It’s not.““I just don’t understand that,” he added.Reese told O’Neal she hopes he finds a “lovely woman” in the future, but theInside the NBAhost said, “Nobody can understand me because I’m weird.”Angel Reese and Shaquille O’Neal.GettyThe retired athlete — whose marriage toShaunie Hendersonended largely due to his infidelity — continued to explain that he’s “only got 18 summers left” before he turns 70. “I’m not going to be doing podcasts at 70, I’m not going to be getting deals at 70. So, I’m trying to know all of this s— out now.”Henderson and O’Neal areparents to four kidstogether — Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah — while Shaunie has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, as Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, with his former girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh.O’Neal’s appearance on the Oct. 24 episode of Reese’s podcast sparked backlash from fans after the WNBA star appeared uncomfortable during a conversation about a recent outfit she wore.While discussing how lowered rims could impact the WNBA, O’Neal said, “Imagine you in the same little shorts you had on at the Wild ‘N Out show dunking,” referring to the shorts Reese wore while making a cameo at the Wild ‘N Out Live Tour’s Chicago stop earlier this month.Reese appeared to roll her eyes, laugh uncomfortably and say, “Oh my god,” before O’Neal continued commenting on her appearance.“Okay. Alright. Alright. Alright. Alright,” she repeated, attempting to change the topic.Shaquille O’Neal and Angel Reese.Jonathan Bachman/Getty; Mike Coppola/MG24/GettyThe exchange went viral on social media and many fans called out O’Neal’s behavior towards Reese, as the WNBA star has described him as “a father figure” in the past, perUSA Today. O’Neal alsoescorted the LSU alum and her motherout onto the court at the school’s senior day celebration earlier this year.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Oneposton X (formerly known as Twitter), said, “Angel reese learned a painful lesson about men through shaq in real time, i fear.”Anotherpostcalled out the retired athlete for “sexualizing Angel Reese when he’s 30 years her senior and has kids older than her.”A rep for O’Neal did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

Shaquille O’Nealmade a surprising prediction about his future during a conversation withAngel Reese.

O’Neal, 52, was a guest on 22-year-old Reese’s podcast,Unapologetically Angel,where the Chicago Sky star asked if he would ever “get married again.”

“Probably not,” O’Neal answered. “I’m gonna end up alone.”

The former NBA star said, “I already know it,” and explained, “Because y’all be making rules up as you go along. There’s no handbook on how to be the perfect man or perfect husband.”

O’Neal went on to explain his frustration for what qualifies as “cheating” in relationships and why he runs into trouble. “If I’m not physically seeing somebody — me, the Diesel — and I’m with you everyday and you know my schedule, it shouldn’t matter what I’m doing on my phone. It’s not cheating. And then you can’t tell me that’s worse than cheating. It’s not.”

“I just don’t understand that,” he added.

Reese told O’Neal she hopes he finds a “lovely woman” in the future, but theInside the NBAhost said, “Nobody can understand me because I’m weird.”

Angel Reese and Shaquille O’Neal.Getty

Getty

The retired athlete — whose marriage toShaunie Hendersonended largely due to his infidelity — continued to explain that he’s “only got 18 summers left” before he turns 70. “I’m not going to be doing podcasts at 70, I’m not going to be getting deals at 70. So, I’m trying to know all of this s— out now.”

Henderson and O’Neal areparents to four kidstogether — Shareef, Amirah, Shaqir and Me’arah — while Shaunie has a son, Myles, from a previous relationship, as Shaq has a daughter, Taahirah, with his former girlfriend, Arnetta Yardbourgh.

O’Neal’s appearance on the Oct. 24 episode of Reese’s podcast sparked backlash from fans after the WNBA star appeared uncomfortable during a conversation about a recent outfit she wore.

While discussing how lowered rims could impact the WNBA, O’Neal said, “Imagine you in the same little shorts you had on at the Wild ‘N Out show dunking,” referring to the shorts Reese wore while making a cameo at the Wild ‘N Out Live Tour’s Chicago stop earlier this month.

Reese appeared to roll her eyes, laugh uncomfortably and say, “Oh my god,” before O’Neal continued commenting on her appearance.

“Okay. Alright. Alright. Alright. Alright,” she repeated, attempting to change the topic.

Shaquille O’Neal and Angel Reese.Jonathan Bachman/Getty; Mike Coppola/MG24/Getty

Jonathan Bachman/Getty; Mike Coppola/MG24/Getty

The exchange went viral on social media and many fans called out O’Neal’s behavior towards Reese, as the WNBA star has described him as “a father figure” in the past, perUSA Today. O’Neal alsoescorted the LSU alum and her motherout onto the court at the school’s senior day celebration earlier this year.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Oneposton X (formerly known as Twitter), said, “Angel reese learned a painful lesson about men through shaq in real time, i fear.”

Anotherpostcalled out the retired athlete for “sexualizing Angel Reese when he’s 30 years her senior and has kids older than her.”

A rep for O’Neal did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

source: people.com