Angel Reese’s Two-Word Message to Shaquille O’Neal’s Caitlin Clark Request originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Before Angel Reese was breaking WNBA rebounding records and making the league’s All-Star team as a rookie, she was a standout forward for the LSU Tigers. There, she and her teammates notoriously took down Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 National Championship Game.
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As a result of the 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game that she averaged across two years at LSU, the Chicago Sky made her the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
This on-court prowess also spurred a relationship between her and NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal, a former LSU Tiger and member of the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (10).Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
O’Neal was integral in getting Reese her sponsorship deal with Reebok. It was recently announced that Reese’s signature shoe line with the brand would be released sometime in 2026, but O’Neal had a special request for when she debuted them.
“I just want everybody walking down the street in Reebok,” O’Neal said. “In a perfect world, say yes, please say yes. What is it? In a perfect world, I would like you to debut them against Caitlin Clark.”
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Clark and Reese formed quite the rivalry in that 2023 National Championship game, but now, it has continued at the professional level. Because of the magnitude of each game between the Indiana Fever and the Chicago Sky, Reese easily agreed to this idea.
“Oh yeah!” Reese said.
The Fever have won four of the five matchups between these two teams since Clark and Reese entered the league. This includes a 93 to 58 victory on opening day of the 2025 WNBA season.
Reese, after making the 2024 WNBA All-Star and All-Rookie teams last season, is averaging 10.0 points and a league-leading 12.3 rebounds per game in 2025. Clark has missed the last three games due to injury, but was averaging 19.0 points, 9.3 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game through four contests.
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Chicago will host Indiana on Saturday at the United Center for a Commissioner’s Cup matchup. The Sky hold a 2-4 record going into the game, while the Fever currently stand at 3-4. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. EST.
Related: Chicago Sky Coach Sends Message After Major Kamilla Cardoso News
Related: Calls Mount for Chicago Sky to Make Change Before Indiana Fever Game
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 6, 2025, where it first appeared.
