It is not easy being Angel Reese. Despite being one of the most celebrated female college basketball players of this decade, Reese has been subjected to taunts and online hatred as her fame grew over the past year. As a Black woman, Reese has been the target of racist screeds and even death threats on social media — which has been immensely difficult for the 21-year-old to handle as she tries to focus on her upcoming career in the WNBA.
The negative comments about Reese continued Sunday, even though she wasn’t playing in the NCAA championship game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the South Carolina Gamecocks. As Reese got into a discussion about how the game was being officiated, the former LSU Tigers star had to take time out to acknowledge that she was once again at the center of a controversy.
What did Angel Reese say?
As far as provocative X posts go, Reese did not appear to be courting controversy when she quote-tweeted WNBA star Natasha Cloud’s tweet questioning the standard of refereeing for the championship game in Cleveland. Reese simply said she had “hit delete about six times” on her own post about how Iowa held a significant free-throw advantage in the first half.
i’ve typed up so many things and just hit delete about 6 times already ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ https://t.co/UvJ8BbuGNL
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 7, 2024
On a post that received 687 replies and over 1,000 retweets, multiple users called Reese a “loser,” directing insults toward her that were irrelevant to her initial post, while Cloud said her tweet exchange led to “racism and hate” showing up on her feed. The Phoenix Mercury guard praised Reese’s character and strength for continuing to make her voice heard despite the hatred, saying she “wears a crown that most of y’all couldn’t even lift.”
The racism and hate on my TL rn from having a tweet exchange with Angel is crazy.
This young black queen truly wears a crown that most of yall couldn’t even lift. 🫡
— Natasha Cloud (@T_Cloud4) April 7, 2024
Angel welcomes Natasha to her “world”
In a funny and heartfelt reply to Cloud’s tweet, Reese issued an apology she should never have had to issue, saying she was sorry for bringing hate to Cloud’s X feed — and she sarcastically “welcomed” Cloud to her world, where she frequently deals with abuse and invective.
i’m sorry i brought that to your pageðŸ˜ðŸ˜ welcome to my world! https://t.co/kAhPMQJJAu
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 7, 2024
Reese has been quite the polarizing figure since she led LSU to a national championship in 2023, with many criticizing her behavior off the court (although she has done nothing illegal) ahd her attitude on it. However, few can deny her skill and talent, and she is hoping that the WNBA will provide a friendlier atmosphere as she takes the next step in her basketball career
