Shaquille O'Neal has vowed to knock out Robert Griffin III if he makes another antagonizing comment about Angel Reese. The basketball legend made the threat in a recent appearance on the podcast Off the Record, hosted by Bailey Jackson and Lachelle Smith.
O'Neal addressed the fact that Griffin spent months attacking Reese on social media after she was fouled by her on-court rival Caitlin Clark during a game in May.
More recently, RGIII demanded on social media that Reese no longer be depicted as a monkey in memes shared with him. However, at the bottom of his post critiquing the practice, he actually included one of the images depicting Reese that way — a decision that many viewers harshly criticized.
Wanting to shut down Griffin's comments, O'Neal warned, "Tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese and I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face."
"It’s enough. I don’t usually do stuff like this, but just stop it, bro," he continued, speaking directly to Griffin. "You got your job, you got your podcast. Leave my Angel Reese alone. I’m the one calling her and telling her not to respond. Fucking stop it. That’s the last time, okay? Thank you."
You can see O'Neal's comments beginning at the 23-minute mark, below.
O'Neal added that the competition between Reese and Clark isn't "real hate." "If you look around [at] what’s going on in this real country, that’s hate," he continued. "This is sports. I’m not supposed to like you."
The former NBA star also predicted that Griffin would be remembered more for his podcast Outta Pocket with RGIII, where he's given controversial opinions on Reese, than for his time in professional sports.
O'Neal ended his tangent by telling Griffin to "leave those girls alone," and said he was the one warning Reese not to respond.
"He hates her. So fucking what. I hate you now, for messing with her. Now what? Say something about me," he continued. "She’s not gonna respond, because I’m the one calling her and be like, 'Baby, keep it classy.' Because she’s not soft, by any means. You’re from the streets. But I’m like, 'You’re beautiful. Don’t indulge with these fools.' Because he’s a fool."
"He don’t even have G-14 classification to say that," O'Neal continued, referencing the now-defunct organization of European football clubs. "I would respect it more if Lisa Leslie said it. Like, that’s y’all category. Stay out of other peoples’ category, okay... You talk about sports. But bro, you don’t need to be going deep.
"If he hates her, so what? Mind your business. Like, I don’t mind you doing your job, same as anyone, but don’t pick on that little girl. Because guess what? I’m her protector. Now pick on me. You pick on me, I’m gonna punch you in your fucking face."
O'Neal follows Ryan Clark in speaking out in defense of the Chicago Sky player. In May, Clark and Griffin viciously debated the Angel Reese/Caitlin Clark rivalry for days. The discussion ended with Clark apologizing for making a dig towards Griffin's wife, Grete Griffin, who's white.
