The Shady Side Of Angel Reese
If you're up on women's college basketball, you have definitely heard the name Angel Reese. Any time she steps on the court, people are left in awe by her talent... and sometimes her shade.
Reese's college ball career started at the University of Maryland, where she led the team to a Big Ten title and took them to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament. Reese's career was already impressive, but she pushed it to the next level when she transferred to Louisiana State University after her sophomore year. Since joining the team at LSU, she's led them to a 2023 NCAA championship and landed the title of 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, while also earning a hefty paycheck, per USAB.
It feels like it was in her blood to become a superstar on the court, but Reese never would have expected all of this to happen to her. She told Glamour in 2023, "I didn't know I would have such a voice as I do now and be an inspiration to others. I always just wanted to play basketball, pursue my education, and strive to achieve my dreams, which include making it to the NBA." She continued, "I never envisioned I'd be at the status that I am at right now." Reese remains unstoppable, but as impressive as her career has been, she has also had a couple of shady moments both on and off the court.
The Angel Reese vs. Caitlin Clark rivalry
When you put two of the biggest names in women's college basketball against one another, you're bound to have some competition. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark have a long history with one another and it seems to have started when the Louisiana State University star shaded Clark on the court.
In 2023, Reese and Clark were vying for the NCAA championship title. The game was intense, but as the clock ran out, it looked like LSU would be taking the title, and Reese took the chance to throw some shade at her opponent. In front of Clark, Reese lifted her hand before waving it in front of her face in a "you can't see me" motion, which was created by WWE professional John Cena. Reese didn't stop the taunting there as she pointed to her ring finger as she was about to clinch the title. Many said Reese took it too far, but the LSU star had her reasons for taking a jab at Clark.
Reese told ESPN, "Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player for sure, but I don't take disrespect lightly. And she disrespected Alexis [Morris] and my girls [from] South Carolina. They're still my SEC girls, too, y'all not gonna disrespect them either." According to the New York Post, Reese's comment referred to the 2023 NCAA final four game, where Clark seemingly brushed off one of the South Carolina players by not bothering to guard her.
Angel Reese isn't afraid to trash talk opponents
After the Caitlin Clark incident, basketball fans learned that Angel Reese isn't afraid to shade her opponents — but the University of Iowa player isn't the only one who has been on the receiving end of Reese's trash talk. The Louisiana State University star also took the chance to shade another college athlete.
In March 2024, LSU took on Middle Tennessee State University in a battle for the NCAA Sweet 16. Throughout the game, Reese and MTSU player Anastasiia Boldyreva went head-to-head on the court. In the third quarter, however, Boldyreva fouled Reese and had to sit out the rest of the game because she ran out of personal fouls. As Reese was out on the floor following the foul, she taunted Boldyreva, waving goodbye in her opponent's direction as she sat down on the bench.
It might not have been the most disrespectful sports moment of all time, but people still called out Reese for taunting. Her behavior toward Boldyreva on the court caught the attention of major news outlets, but even that didn't bother the basketball star. In a shady tweet, she responded to all the backlash, saying, "'clickbait everything i do keep going viral.'" Although Reese didn't mention the game or Boldyreva, fans knew she was referring to the trash talk she dished out toward the MTSU player.
Angel Reese has been compared to Ja Morant
Angel Reese isn't a fan of how the media can take things out of context. The Louisiana State University star seemed to come to the defense of NBA player Ja Morant, who has already caught heat for his social media behavior, after he was called out for the gestures he made during a game. According to the Daily Mail, during a game, the Memphis Grizzly star celebrated a dunk by facing the audience with his arms extended out, making what looked to be gun trigger movements before moving his hands toward his head. The media and online users called out Morant for the supposed gun trigger motions specifically.
Morant received flack for his gesture, but people quickly realized there was a double standard as Texas Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers made a similar movement during a game not long before. One account on X, formerly known as Twitter, compared the two celebrations with the caption, "Barstool Sports is getting called out for saying Quinn Ewers was having fun... but Ja Morant was shooting bullets?? They were both doing the same dance." Reese took Morant's situation to heart, and saw some similarities with her experience of facing backlash for making gestures on the court. She wrote, "lol i've seen this before." Reese didn't elaborate on her tweet but many think this was a dig at the backlash she got from the media and internet for making the "you can't see me" gesture at Caitlin Clark.
Angel Reese threw jabs at Jill Biden
The 2023 NCAA championship tournament game was a nail-biter as Louisiana State University and University of Iowa went at it for the title. Ultimately, LSU came out on top, and typically the winner of the game gets to go to the White House. However, first lady Jill Biden suggested that President Joe Biden to extend the invite to the University of Iowa, as well, per CNN. She said, "[W]e hope LSU will come but, you know, I'm going to tell Joe [Biden] I think Iowa should come, too, because they played such a good game." News of the potential invite to Iowa reached Reese and she was not happy.
Reese tweeted a now-deleted response to Jill's comments, saying, "A JOKE." The LSU star wasn't the only one who found it disrespectful to invite the opposing team. Jill's press secretary eventually got involved and responded to the backlash, reassuring that the first lady didn't mean any harm. Reese heard about the response, but for the LSU star, it was a little too late, as she made some jabs at the Biden administration. She told the "I AM ATHLETE" podcast, "I don't accept the apology because you said what you said... We'll go to the Obamas.' We'll go see Michelle. We'll see Barack." Ultimately, Reese and LSU did accept the invite to the White House as they put their beef behind them.
Angel Reese called out the media
Ahead of Louisiana State University's Sweet 16 game vs. UCLA, a Los Angeles Times writer shared an article with harsh comments about the southern state's team. The journalist made comparisons between the two teams, clearly indicating his support for UCLA. He wrote, "This isn't just a basketball game, it's a reckoning. Picking sides goes well beyond school allegiance." They continued, "Do you prefer America's sweethearts or its dirty debutantes? Milk and cookies or Louisiana hot sauce? The coach who embraces reporters or the one who attacks them? The tender star player or the one who taunts?" After the article's publication, many found it inappropriate for the writer to make such comparisons, and the article has since been edited.
LSU coach Kim Mulkey was upset by the comments, speaking on them in a press conference following LSU's win over UCLA. Mulkey said, "You can criticize coaches all you want, that's our business...We expect that it comes with the territory, but the one thing I'm not going to let you do, I'm not going to let you attack young people..." Mulkey wasn't the only one to comment on the article; Reese also threw some shade toward the Los Angeles Times.
Before the game, the LSU star shared a photo to her Instagram Story of milk and cookies vs. hot sauce, nodding to the writer's comments. Reese wrote over the image, "WE LOVEEE MILK & COOKIES," insinuating they would dominate UCLA, and to be fair, LSU did win.