Angel Reese is unapologetically her. The 21-year-old LSU sensation shot to fame following her LSU national championship victory. And while it was a moment of celebration for many, Angel Reese took the spotlight for the wrong reasons, garnering rash criticism for her move against Caitlin Clark. Her light-hearted taunt turned into a moment of controversy. Meanwhile, 6 months following her controversial celebration, Travis Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole won Angel Reese’s heart in front of 2,600,000 people.
Kayla Nicole Wins Angel Reese’s Heart
The Louisiana State University defeated the University of Iowa making it a historic victory for the LSU, being their first-ever national victory. To celebrate, towards the end of the final game in which the LSU Tigers won 102-85, Angel Reese made the gesture popularized by John Cena, targeting it at Caitlin Clark.
However, this move was deemed unsportsmanlike by many critics. Notably, Caitlin Clark had made the same gesture toward Louisville players in Iowa’s Elite Eight victory over the Cardinals. The only difference was that Caitlin Clark was praised for it. This discrepancy in their treatment points to a potential issue of racial bias.
Angel Reese, however, wasn’t one to back down. Days after securing her championship ring, Reese called out how she was treated unfairly following the infamous incident. “I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So, this is for the girls that look like me,” Reese said. “That’s going to speak up for what they believe in.” Six months after Angel Reese’s controversial celebration, the 21-year-old athlete resonated with Kayla Nicole’s love letter to Black Women.
On-air host, Kayla Nicole is no new face to many. She recently sat down before the camera, dressed in a crisp white button-down blouse. Kayla Nicole penned a letter titled “Dear Black Girl,” and chose to share her letter on Instagram, addressing an important message to all Black girls and women.
“Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value. They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken. And in the same breath, tell you that you are not enough. Not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough,” Kayla stated.
She continued, “They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment because of your Blackness. You should have known better. They’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere. Your value is deep within your heart. The way you love, the way you give. Your value is in your resilience.”
Listen to more of Kayla Nicole’s letter below.
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Angel Reese seems to have found immense comfort in the letter. She commented, “From one black girl to another, THANK YOU for speaking up for us! This was beautiful! Always walk with grace & God because that’s all that matters!”. Reese also commented, “WE LOVE YOU.” In the hopes that her followers might resonate with the message, she also shared it on her Instagram story, writing, “Wow! NEEDED THIS! All black girls need to listen to this!!! Thank you Kayla Nicole. We love you.”
Despite all the controversies Angel Reese has waddled through, Angel Reese remains confident in herself and wants others to do the same. “Just keep being you. Never let anybody tell you no or that you can’t do this, you can’t do that. I’ve always stood in my skin and proud of who I am. I’m very, very confident in who I am, and I think people who support me, they understand who I am. I love who I am.”
