(CNN) Shaquille O’Neal knows a thing or two about success. NBA four times hero One of the league’s greats walked in while speaking, too.
And so when he praises another athlete, he comes with some oomph and experience behind it.
On Tuesday, O’Neal called Louisiana State University (LSU) a forward Angel Reese The “greatest athlete” dropped out of school.
“She is probably the greatest athlete ever to come out of the sport of LSU. You heard it here first,” O’Neal said on “The Big Pod.” “Male and female. Absolutely.”
‘Because, guess what? and women – but she is probably the greatest athlete.
O’Neal attends the Big 12 basketball championship game between the Texas Longhorns and Kansas Jayhawks on March 11, 2023.
“Some people are going to discount her for math. I don’t. She’s the greatest female athlete ever to come out of LSU.”
Reese had a stellar 2022 season playing a pivotal role in LSU winning its first NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
She was named a consensus first-team All-American for her performance that season, as well as being named March Madness Women’s Player of the Year.
Reese averaged 23 points, 15.4 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game over the course of the LSU season.
However, the 20-year-old’s talents were arguably overlooked amid the debate last week over whether Reese would visit the White House – usually national champions get an invite.
Receiving praise from O’Neal is a great tribute, as he himself had a stellar career at LSU before being drafted with the #1 overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft.
He was a two-time first-team All-American and received the Adolph Rupp Award as the best NCAA men’s basketball player in 1991.
O’Neal later had a retired No. 33 at LSU, and was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame as well as the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
LSU has a notable record of turning out talented athletes; From O’Neal and fellow Basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich to track and field superstars Lolo Jones and Armand Duplantis.
Reese prepares to shoot during practice before LSU’s NCAA Women’s Final Four semifinal game on March 30.
O’Neal compared it to the success that current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and LSU star Joe Burrow has had at school, winning the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2019 as well as the Heisman Trophy.
“She’s the greatest athlete to come out of LSU because she accomplished it. Joe Burrow accomplished it a couple of years ago, but she’s even more athletic than she is,” O’Neal said.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”