(CNN) Shaquille O’Neal knows a thing or two about success. The four-time NBA champion and one of the league’s all-time greats walked the path and also led the conversation.
So when he praises another athlete, there is some sincerity and expertise behind it.
On Tuesday, O’Neal named Louisiana State University (LSU) forward Angel Reese the “greatest athlete” to graduate from the school.
“She’s probably the greatest athlete to ever emerge from LSU sport. You heard it here first,” O’Neal said on The Big Pod. “Male and female. Always.”
“Because you know what? She delivered. She delivered the package. You see, many of us got the package, and we still have the package in our truck. She delivered the package. So, you know, there’s a lot of names you could throw around – men and women – but she’s probably the greatest athlete.
O’Neal attends the championship game of the Big 12 basketball tournament between the Texas Longhorns and the Kansas Jayhawks on March 11, 2023.
“Some people will rule it out for female athletes. I do not do that. She is the greatest athlete to ever emerge from LSU.”
Reese had a stellar 2022 season as she played a pivotal role in LSU winning its first-ever NCAA women’s collegiate basketball championship.
She was unanimously named a First-Team All-American for her accomplishments that season and named the Outstanding Player of the Women’s March Madness.
Reese averaged 23 points, 15.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game over the course of the LSU season.
However, it is questionable whether the 20-year-old’s talents were overlooked in last week’s controversy over whether Reese would visit the White House – traditionally the national champions receive an invitation.
To be commended is high recognition by O’Neal, who himself had a distinguished career at LSU before being selected No. 1 overall in the 1992 NBA draft.
He was twice named to the All-American First Team and received the 1991 Adolph Rupp Trophy for NCAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Year.
O’Neal later retired his No. 33 at LSU, was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame as well as the College Basketball Hall of Fame.
LSU has a prestigious record of producing talented athletes; from O’Neal and fellow basketball Hall of Famer Pete Maravich to track and field stars 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 the school, winning the 2019 college football national championship and Heisman trophy.
“She’s the greatest athlete to ever come out of LSU because she made it. Joe Burrow did it a few years ago, but she’s a lot more athletic than him,” O’Neal said.