The LSU Tigers fell just short of a second straight Final Four appearance in the NCAA Tournament, falling short in their matchup on Monday night against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes. And after the game, star forward Angel Reese opened up about some truly horrible message she has received from critics throughout her collegiate career.
Reese has of course risen to stardom in college basketball thanks to both her elite skills and her unapologetic competitiveness on the court. She is of course best known by some for her viral taunt at the end of the 2023 National Championship toward Iowa’s Caitlin Clark after the game was in hand for LSU.
This time, Clark got the best of Reese. And in LSU’s postgame press conference, Reese got extremely emotional while discussing several instances of criticism she has received from fans in the past few years.
“I don’t really get to stand up for myself,” Reese said according to On3. “I mean, I have great teammates. I have a great support system. I’ve got my hometown. I’ve got my family that stands up for me. I don’t really get to speak out on things because I just ignore. I just try to stand strong. I’ve been through so much. I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened, I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.”
It’s truly unfortunate to hear of all of the off-court things that Reese has had to deal with. Simply put, no athletes should have to deal with this kind of serious criticism, let along death threats, simply because of how they play the game.
Reese has not yet made a decision about whether she will return to LSU for one more season or head to the WNBA. But considering all she has had to deal with from college basketball fans, maybe a move to the WNBA does make some sense for her.
