$1.7 million NIL-valued Angel Reese shares late-night bedroom snap after LSU's sheer dominance against Vanderbilt: "The life of an athlete"

LSU superstar Angel Reese had a standard night in the Tigers' routine 85-62 road win against the Vanderbilt Commodores on Thursday, registering 15 points, 16 rebounds and one assist.

The $1.7 million NIL-valued Reese, according to On3, shared a picture of her going to bed from later that night, at 2:07 a.m,. on Instagram with the caption:

"The life of an athlete. Goodnight!"

Screenshot

---

How Shaq keeps Angel Reese grounded

Their relationship began in an innocuous manner, with Angel Reese introducing herself to Shaquille O'Neil's talented daughter, Me'Arah O'Neal during an official visit to LSU and Shaq challenging Reese to score a 20-20 double-double.

Reese registered 23.0 points and 26,0 rebounds during LSU's 74-59 win against Mississippi State and resoundingly won the bet. LSU assistant coach, Bob Starkey, who has coached both Shaq and Angel Reese, explained the connection between the pair to USA TODAY.

"There’s really strong parallels in their personalities," said Starkey. "They love people. They welcome the spotlight that comes with stardom, they both have a great love for this school and an enthusiasm for life."

Earlier in the season, when Angel Reese was absent from the LSU squad for undisclosed reasons and speculation was rife that it was down to poor grades, Shaq stood by her.

Starkey explains how important that relationship was to the LSU guard during that difficult period.

"It’s incredibly important to me that I know Angel has Shaquille every step of the way," Starkey said.

"Shaquille is an incredibly loyal person. When Shaquille is in your camp, he’s 10 toes in. Even when Angel was going through some difficulties earlier this season, he was right there for her. Where some companies might want to distance themselves from negative (attention), not Shaquille. He’s going to be there for her forever."

In the interview with USA TODAY, Reese explained how Shaquille O'Neal keeps her grounded and stands by her during the tough times.

"He’s super inspiring to me," Angel Reese said. "He’s so genuine, he’s been there for me through tough times. He just gets it, and there’s not a more perfect person for me to be tight with.

"We have fun, and if I need anything, he would help me. … and he would do that even if I never played basketball again. He doesn’t care about me as a player, he cares about me as a person."

By her own admission, the stardom has descended faster than she anticipated, but with the support of a mega superstar like Shaquille O'Neal, Reese is keeping her feet firmly on the ground.