Angel Reese (Photo via Chicago State of Mind Sports/YouTube)
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese was not happy following her game against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever for several reasons.
Angel Reese had to deal with foul trouble all game long as she had to endure a 91-83 loss to Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Sunday. She was also assessed a Flagrant 1 for a brutal hit she delivered to Clark’s head.
During her postgame press conference, Reese had some strong words about the officiating.
When asked about the flagrant foul, Reese said the referees “affected the game a lot tonight.”
“It was a basketball play. I can’t control the refs. They affected the game obviously a lot today,” she told reporters.
“I’m always going for the ball. Y’all are going to play that clip 20 times before Monday.”
“I guess some people got a special whistle,” Reese said.
In the contest, Angel Reese finished the game with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and five assists as she tied the WNBA rookie record with her sixth consecutive double-double. Unfortunately, she had a rough day from the field as she shot 4-of-13 from the field and was whistled for five fouls. She was also a force on defense, recording two steals and a blocked shot, per ESPN.
Chicago Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon defended Reese and her fellow rookie teammate Kamilla Cardoso:
“They play so hard down there and sometimes the whistle just doesn’t go your way,” Weatherspoon said. “They play hard, and that’s the most important thing is to play hard. They know how important that is for us to establish that identity. Tonight I thought they played their butts off. They’re very physical down there. Wish we could have gotten some calls here and there.”
NaLyssa Smith and Angel Reese (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Former ESPN commentator and current Controversial conservative pundit Jason Whitlock is no fan of Angel Reese, as he did not mince words for her in the aftermath of her comments about her place in women’s basketball.
Reese said that after her rivalry with Caitlin Clark, she deserves some credit for helping popularity of the WNBA.
‘It all started from the [2023 women’s] National Championship game, and I’ve been dealing with this for two years now. And understanding, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I’ll take that because look where women’s basketball is,’ Reese said.
‘People are talking about women’s basketball, but you never would think that we’re talking about women’s basketball. People are pulling up to games.
‘We got celebrities coming to games, sold out arenas, just because of one single game. And just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates.
Whitlock to his platform and blasted Reese for her comments.
