WNBA Fans Want All-Star Suspended For 'Dirty' Play On Angel Reese - The Spun
Chicago Sky forward and former LSU star Angel Reese was on the receiving end of a flagrant foul in Saturday’s loss to the Connecticut Sun but did not back down from the excessive contact, instead thanking pro basketball veteran Alyssa Thomas for her hard foul. Thomas pushed Reese to the floor during the Sun’s 86-82 victory with contact to her neck and was ejected after the play.

The flagrant 2 was an example of the physicality at the WNBA level, and Reese — one of the league’s top rookies and the No. 7 overall pick in last month’s draft— fully embraced the nature of the professional game.

“I’m a basketball player,” Reese said in her postgame media availability. “They don’t give a damn if I’m a rookie. I want them to come at me every day. I want them to come at everybody. They’re not supposed to be nice to me. I hope y’all know that. They’re not supposed to be nice to me or lay down because I’m Angel Reese or because I’m a rookie. Thank you, AT, for sending a message to me, because I got back up and kept going and kept pushing. Me and AT have been cool since we were at Maryland, so I know it’s not no hard feelings. I appreciate her for going at me every day.”

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Reese went on to score 13 points in the loss and added five rebounds, two assists and a steal. It was her fourth-straight game with double-digit points to open her professional career, and sixth-straight including preseason contests. The LSU product and former Maryland transfer averages 12.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists and a steal per game on the young season.

During her time with the Tigers, where she won the 2023 national championship and developed into one of the top players in the country, Reese battled her portrayal as a “villain” in women’s basketball. She recently discussed the adversity she faced in the latter stages of her college career.

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“I just try to stand strong,” Reese said during last season’s NCAA Tournament. “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. And I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and like, not be there for them. I just want them to always know, I’m still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship and I said the other day I haven’t been happy since then.

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“And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change. I wouldn’t change anything. I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me. I’m always going to stand on that. Hopefully the little girls that look up to me know … it’s not this hard and all the things that come at you, but keep being who you are, staying motivated, don’t back down and just be confident.”