Shaq praises Angel Reese for avoiding confrontation in LSU-South Carolina melee: 'She did the right thing'

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The LSU women's basketball team defeated the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes in last season's national championship game. The South Carolina Gamecocks won the national title in 2022. 

On Sunday, LSU and South Carolina met in the SEC Tournament championship. The Gamecocks won their ninth consecutive SEC title, but the game was marred by an altercation. 

Multiple players were ejected following the melee. 

On Monday, the conference confirmed Gamecocks center Kamilla Cardoso will not be eligible to play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. LSU star Angel Reese, the reigning SEC Player of the Year, notably steered clear of the scuffle. 

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LSU forward Angel Reese waves to fans after South Carolina beat LSU for the SEC championship at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., Sunday, March 10, 2024. (Ken Ruinard/Staff/USA Today Network)

On Monday, Reese took to social media to explain her decision to "walk away."

"As a person at my STATUS, sometimes you have to walk away from certain situations," Reese wrote on X, formerly Twitter. She explained she was also dealing with an injury at the time the fight broke out.

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Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal, who Reese has described as a mentor, revealed he reached out to the LSU star and praised her for avoiding the dust-up.

"I see she’s taking a lot of flak, ‘Oh, she should have been there,’" O'Neal told USA Today.

Angel Reese (10) of the LSU Lady Tigers shoots a basket against Sania Feagin of the South Carolina