Shaquille “Shaq” O’Neal has never been one to shy away from sharing his opinions, and his recent comments about Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese’s transition to the WNBA are no exception. The former LSU women’s basketball star has made a huge impact in her rookie season, and Shaq has been vocal in his support.

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“She made the comment the other day that she was born like this, and it is true. Her mentality, the way she plays, no-nonsense, going to say what is on her mind, going to play the way she plays, and I love that about her,” Shaq said on SportsCenter with Matt Barrie on Wednesday.

Reese’s journey from LSU to the WNBA has been marked by her determination to prove doubters wrong.

“She’s the type that if you doubt her, she’s just going to step up and play. I know she remembers a lot of people saying, ‘Oh, the way you played at LSU is not going to translate in this game.’ And I know she took that to heart. So (I’m) happy for her,” Shaq said.

Shaq shared a memorable first encounter with Reese, where she boldly claimed she could outshoot the NBA legend.

“When I first met her, we had a little challenge, and she said she was going to outshoot me. And I said, ‘No you are not, you cannot outshoot me.’ I’ve been a fan ever since then,” he added.

Reese has certainly made a name for herself in her rookie season. She went on an impressive run, posting a league-record 15 consecutive double-double performances from June 6 against the Washington Mystics through July 11 against the New York Liberty. The streak was snapped on July 13 in another game against the Liberty. Still, Reese has maintained a streak of finishing with 10 or more rebounds in 17 consecutive games, dating back to the start of June, according to John Leuzzi of the USA Today.

O’Neal also highlighted the broader impact Reese and her fellow rookie, Caitlin Clark, have had on women’s basketball.

“Caitlin and Angel, because of social media and other media outlets, really brought the game where it should have been 10 years ago. So I’m really an advocate for women’s basketball. They always play hard, their fundamentals are great,” he said.

In her head-to-head matchups against Clark and the Indiana Fever, Reese and the Sky are 0-2. Despite the losses, Reese has held her own, averaging 9.5 points and 13 rebounds. Her performance on June 1 against Indiana, where she scored eight points on 2-of-9 shooting, stands as one of her lower-scoring games of the season.

Overall, Reese is averaging 13.5 points and 12 rebounds per game over 23 games. These stats rank her third in points and first in rebounds on the Sky. In comparison, Clark is averaging 16.8 points, 5.8 rebounds and 7.8 assists per game over 25 games.

While Shaq praised Clark, referring to her as the “female Steph Curry,” he expressed a strong preference for Reese in the Rookie of the Year race.

“I’d give the vote to Angel,” he said.