Credits: USA TODAY Sports

The rivalry between Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark has now manifested itself in the WNBA as the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever are locked in a battle for the third spot in the Eastern Conference table. Despite Reese’s Sky losing out to Clark’s Fever 83-91 in their recent matchup, Shaquille O’Neal is too busy celebrating her niece’s new achievement.

Angel Reese recently became the first rookie in her class to average a double-double, making Uncle Shaq very proud. The 22-year-old tallied a double-double in the Fever game as well, putting up 11 points and 13 rebounds.

The Big Aristotle even took to his Instagram to post a story about Reese’s recent achievement, sharing ESPN’s graphic on Reese’s double-double record.

The Sky rookie is worth every bit of praise that has come her way. Reese has been dominant on defense, has made timely shots and consistently collected boards for the Chicago side.

In fact, Reese’s rookie season averages are pretty impressive, as she has put up 12.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 13 games played. While she hasn’t been performing like her NCAA rival Caitlin Clark, Reese is slowly carving her own identity in the W.

But Shaquille O’Neal’s recent Instagram activity is heavily skewed in Reese’s favor, showing where the Lakers legend’s loyalties lie.

Uncle Shaq continues his praise of Angel Reese

It’s no surprise that Shaq heavily favors Reese, considering their LSU connection. Even during her NCAA run, O’Neal was publicly supporting his fellow Tigers star. Since Reese has entered the WNBA, Shaq’s support of the 23-year-old has only risen.

In fact, just a few days ago, O’Neal shared an X post that portrayed the growth that the WNBA has recently experienced. Even in that, O’Neal managed to make the post about Reese, as the X post talked about how Reese has influenced an uptick in ticket sales.

It’s crystal clear that Shaq doesn’t want his ‘niece’ to play second fiddle to Caitlin Clark. O’Neal thinks Reese is as good, if not better, than the Fever rookie, even using recent WNBA’s rookie rankings to get his point across.