Angel Reese Reflects On Being The Target Of Cyberbullying In Candid Interview: 'Hard For Me'

Yahoo

6 days ago

As Chicago Sky star Angel Reese prepares for her second consecutive WNBA All-Star appearance, she's getting candid about the intense pressures that come with being one of the most popular athletes in women's sports.
Angel Reese Reflects On How Her Life Has Changed Since Winning A National Championship In 2023
Several weeks ago, Reese made headlines after she trademarked the word "Mebounds," which her detractors coined to poke fun at her impressive ability on the offensive and defensive glass.
Later, the WNBA star released "Mebounds" merch and shared that a portion of the proceeds would go towards combating cyberbullying. Speaking with ESPN ahead of the WNBA All-Star Game, Reese opened up about why she has been focused on shedding light on the topic.
"I've experienced it," Reese said. "It was hard for me in the beginning. After I won the national championship, my whole life changed."
After Reese and the LSU Tigers defeated Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2023 NCAA National Championship, Reese became the center of public scrutiny for what some perceived as taunting Clark near the end of the contest.
During her interview, Reese said she'd never seen "negativity like that on social media."
She continued, "It was bigger than basketball when they were finding my address [and] my car. I had to change my whole lifestyle. It doesn't bother me as much anymore just because I feel like I've built a thicker skin, but not everybody has a thick skin."
Angel Reese Opened Up About Leaning On Other WNBA Players For Support
The online vitriol Reese experienced after the national championship game has persisted throughout her first two seasons in the WNBA. However, in her interview with ESPN, she explained how she's found a crucial support system in her fellow athletes.
"This is the closest I've been to these players," she said. "Last year, I wasn't that close. When I was in Phoenix (during the 2024 All-Star Game), I was very quiet. I didn't talk to anybody. That's what I really love about this league: being able to have sisters. I don't have any sisters. Being able to have sisters here who really, really care about me and knowing I can take that and transform that into the community."
Angel Reese Has Spoken About Being 'Attacked' Online Before
And Reese's comments about being cyberbullied aren't the first time the basketball player has been open about receiving inappropriate messages online.
After LSU fell to Iowa in the Elite Eight round during the 2024 NCAA Tournament, Reese admitted to having a rough year, adding, "I don't really get to speak out on things just because I try to ignore, and I just try to stand strong."
She further stated that since winning, she's "been attacked so many times," including being sent "death threats."
But the horror didn't end there.
"I've been sexualized, I've been threatened, I've been so many things, and I've stood strong every single time," she said. "And I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don't want them to see me down and not be there for them."
Reese Says Talking Trash In Sports Is Not Personal
Before her rematch with Clark during the 2024 Elite Eight, Reese made a point to tell reporters that her trash talk is "not personal."
She went further, adding, "Me and Caitlin Clark don't hate each other. I want everybody to understand that. It's just a super competitive game."
According to Reese, when she's on the hardwood, there are "no friends." She explained, "I have plenty of friends on the court that I talk to outside of the game. But when I get between those lines, we're not friends. We're not buddies."
The Maryland native added, "I'm going to talk trash to you. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get in your head the whole entire game, but after the game, we can kick it. I don't think people really realize that, and that's fine, I'll take the villain role."
Clark Reflected On Her On-Court Relationship With Reese
Clark has also echoed Reese's sentiment about their on-court dynamic, confirming that they're both simply competitive players with a passion for winning.
"Me and Angel have always been great competitors. There's definitely that competitive fire. Both of us want to win more than anything, and that's how it should be when you're a competitor and you get into a situation like this, whether it was the national championship, whether it's the Elite 8," Clark said. "I think that's the main similarity is how competitive we are. We both grew up loving this game, and we're going to do anything we can to help our teams win."