“Shaq, honestly, is high on some pain medicines" - Lolo Jones blasts Shaquille O'Neal for calling Angel Reese 'greatest player' from LSU
Following the women's NCAA Tournament, Shaquille O'Neal made a bold statement regarding his former stomping grounds. He went on his podcast and stated that Angel Reese is the greatest player to ever come out of LSU.
Angel Reese became a big hit on social media after her actions during the national championship game against Iowa. After being caught taunting opponent Caitlin Clark, many were divided about her being competitive or crossing a line.
After hearing what Shaquille O'Neal said in regards to Reese, Lolo Jones had some words for the Hall of Famer. Jones, a three-time NCAA champion and 11-time All-American in track at LSU, has competed in hurdles twice and bobsleigh once in three Olympics. She feels Shaq is not in the right frame of mind with his comments regarding top LSU athletes.
"Shaq's just bored," Jones said. "He's coming off hip surgery. He's chilling at home. I think Shaq, honestly, is high on some pain medicines. The list (of all-time greats) is so big with LSU.
"So, for Shaq to have the audacity to say 'she's the best ever, I'm like, 'Bro, chill on the pain meds,' because that list is arduous. So long."
Lolo Jones says Shaquille O'Neal needs to "calm down" after he called Angel Reese the greatest LSU athlete ever. tmz.com/2023/04/14/lol…
Is Lolo Jones right to call out Shaquille O'Neal for his take?
As a decorated college and Olympic runner, Lolo Jones has a right to be bothered by what Shaquille O'Neal said. While Angel Resse had a tremendous season at LSU, there are others who belong in the conversation for top LSU athletes.
Part of why Jones is likely mad at this comment is that Reese just transferred to LSU this year. Meanwhile, there are countless others who have excelled at the program throughout its history.
LSU boasts 50 national team titles, including four in football and six in baseball, and hundreds of individual NCAA titles based on its elite track and field and gymnastics programs. That's to go with six members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and three (O'Neal, Pete Maravich and Bob Pettit) in the Basketball Hall of Fame. And 34 Tigers hold 45 Olympic gold medals.
The craziest part about what Shaq said is that he is an LSU alumnus and icon himself. He dominated college basketball as a two-time national player of the year before becoming the No. 1 pick in the 1992 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic. That being said, he never delivered the school a championship.
An argument could even be made that Reese isn't even the top athlete at the school right now. Dylan Crews is an outfielder for LSU's No. 1-ranked baseball team and could be the top pick in the MLB draft this year. The 21-year-old, who is also in consideration for national player of the year awards, has played in 33 games this season and is batting .495 with nine home runs and 36 runs batted in.
As Jones said, Shaq might have put out this hot take as an attempt to get people buzzing about something.