Shaquille O’Neal is not someone you’d want to mess with. Nor would you want to mess with one of his friends. This is a lesson Robert Griffin III, who is known as RG III, is quickly starting to learn.
RG III has recently found himself embroiled in multiple controversies, many of which center around race. He drew backlash for making a racially charged comment about Jalen Hurts’ critics and later clashed with Ryan Clark over claims that Angel Reese dislikes Caitlin Clark, a narrative RG III appeared to promote.
Now, he’s facing renewed criticism after a post on X that initially seemed to defend Reese from a racist photo, but ultimately revealed deeper, more troubling implications.
Alright. This has got to stop. There is no place for racism in this world. Whether you like a player or not. Angel Reese should never be called or depicted as a Monkey.
I have been quiet on the Angel Reese front because she shared a video that aided in my wife, kids, family and… pic.twitter.com/luxC7h0Rpg
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) July 10, 2025
RG III posted about how people should not be racist towards Reese. He then reshared a photo of Reese depicted as a monkey on the cover of the upcoming NBA 2K game. This caused backlash as fans mentioned he did not have to reshare the photo to get his point across.
This wasn’t all however. In his post, RG III went on to add that he is “in contact with some people in Reese’s inner circle who told him Reese has grown to hate Caitlin Clark.”
This shows that RG III is ultimately trying to keep the narrative alive that Reese hates Clark, making fans believe his coming to Reese’s “defense” was not genuine.
Reese seemingly responded to RG III with her own post, with the message: “lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work.”
lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work.
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) July 10, 2025
Reese’s mother, Angel Webb Reese, also posted a message to RG III, defending her daughter.
“Man stop with the [cap]. My daughter’s ‘circle’ is so small & tight so I’d be interested 2 know who called U … Whomever U say ‘called’ U is not in her circle 2 speak on her feelings towards a media/fandom made up beef. Just stay on that side bc the doors are closed over here.”
Man stop with the
My daughter's "circle" is so small & tight so I'd be interested 2 know who called U
Whomever U say "called" U is not in her circle 2 speak on her feelings towards a media/fandom made up beef. Just stay on that side bc the doors are closed over here
— AngelReese(TheMom) (@awebbreese) July 10, 2025
Now, let’s dive back to Shaquille O’Neal. Shaq has a friendship with Reese, one that began when Reese was in college. She attended LSU, the same school Shaq attended.
Shaq recently made an appearance on the Off the Record podcast, where he called out RG III, threatening him if he posts anything racist about Reese again.
“RGIII, tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese and I’m gonna punch you in your f***ing face,” Shaq said. “It’s enough. Like, I don’t usually do stuff like this but stop it, bro. 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, f***ing stop it. That’s the last time. Thank you.”
SHAQ warns RGIII that he will punch him in the face if he makes another disrespectful post about Angel Reese. pic.twitter.com/PThMLvDgfR
— The Art Of Dialogue (@ArtOfDialogue_) July 15, 2025
RG III would be wise not to cross Shaq, as The Big Diesel is a man of his word. Also, he needs to quit all the hate on Reese and stop trying to divide fans of Reese and Clark.
Let fans decide who they support based on how each player performs. More importantly, RG III needs to stop making racially charged remarks and posts. It’s uncalled for, and people like Shaq won’t tolerate it any longer.
More must-reads:
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!