The LSU Tigers led by Angel Reese became the 2023 NCAA Division I champions after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes last night at American Airlines Center in Dallas. Reese followed up her excellent tournament with a great performance in the Final but one of her gestures during the game caused a stir on social media. As a result of this, the 20-year-old was subjected to a myriad of criticisms online. However, NBA legend and Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal was apparently unhappy with the way people reacted to her gesture.
The Big Diesel is quite outspoken and doesn’t hesitate to voice out his opinions on any affair. The LSU alumnus backed the Tigers’ 20-year-old star without hesitation and has called out people overreacting to the situation. The four-time NBA champion recently reiterated his thoughts by sharing a video of a noted journalist on his Instagram account.
Shaquille O’Neal endorses video calling out Caitlyn Clark defender on the Angel Reese incident
During the final moments of the game on Sunday, Reese made WWE legend John Cena’s iconic ‘You Can’t See Me’ gesture toward the Hawkeyes guard, Caitlin Clark. This made her receive a lot of flak on social media and a journalist, Jose de Jesus Ortiz termed her act “classless”. The journalist further wrote, “Win with class, lose with class, play with class. Clark’s mom and dad can be proud that her daughter ignored the taunting. They raised her right.”
This is classless. Angel Reese is only 20, so she’s still young, but taunting Caitlin Clark like this shows a pure lack of class.
Win with class, lose with class, play with class.
Clark’s mom and dad can be proud that her daughter ignored the taunting. They raised her right. pic.twitter.com/HQyVFuyJIw
— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) April 2, 2023
Ortiz’s statements were countered by the TikTok creator Sports Fluent through a video. The former Los Angeles Lakers superstar, Shaquille O’Neal, shared the video on his Instagram story. In the video, the creator asked Ortiz how he only found Reese’s gesture towards Clark classless when Clark herself had made the ‘You can’t see me gesture’ previously. He further added, “I didn’t see and I searched and searched for you to comment on Caitlin giving the ‘you can’t see me’ gesture. Couldn’t find anything but today this is a classless act. Make it make sense Jose – now you’re more fluent.”
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Anthony exposed the bias of Ortiz. The four-time NBA champion indicated that he was standing by Reese by sharing his video.
Reese opens up about her gesture
In a post-game interview, Reese revealed why she had made that gesture towards Clark. The whizz-kid started by saying that the Hawkeyes guard was one hell of a player but “I don’t take disrespect lightly”. She added further, “She disrespected Alexis [Morris] and I wanted to pick her pocket.” Apparently, Clark initially disrespected Reese’s teammate and therefore she made the gesture to give her a befitting reply.
Regardless of her gesture, the Tigers forward was one of the best players on the hardwood last night. She put on a show at American Airlines Center as she dropped 15 points. Moreover, the 20-year-old also grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out five assists. Incidentally, this win made LSU’s women’s basketball team the NCAA champion for the first time.
