Angel Reese shot to fame overnight after the infamous 2023 NCAA National Championship Final between Iowa and LSU. While she was lauded for her terrific performance, her unprovoked mocking of Caitlin Clark during the game garnered the most attention. Her brash behavior helped her gain notoriety on social media. However, it also came with its challenges.
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During her conversation with rapper Latto on the Unapologetically Angel podcast, the center shed light on the vitriol she faced after that game. The 22-year-old claimed she became a target for detractors and faced a barrage of criticism online. However, resisting the urge to respond was the frustrating part of the whole ordeal. Reese said,
“Since I won a national championship and everything happened when I got in your video, photo shoots, everything, I had become this celebrity and everybody in my business now… Like, I be wanting to clap back but I can’t… Even when people on social media be making fake news about me.”
The young center made it no secret that the majority of the hatred came from Clark’s fanbase and revealed that it continues to be the case to this day.
Angel Reese calls out Caitlin Clark’s fans
Reese mocking Clark in the 2023 NCAA National Championship Final birthed a rivalry unlike any other that women’s basketball had seen. The guard got her revenge in the Elite Eight stage of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, but their rivalry didn’t end there and, like the duo, has transferred seamlessly from college basketball to the WNBA.
However, the slew of detractors that Reese garnered in college have also followed her to the league. On an episode of the Unapologetically Angel podcast, the center explicitly called out Clark’s fans for the racist and sexist abuse they’ve hurled at her on social media. She said,
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it.”
Reese’s ordeal prompted her to take part in an anti-bullying campaign called, ‘Block The Negativity Post Up Positivity.’ Explaining how it would help her, women’s basketball icon Sue Bird said on the A Touch More podcast,
“So, part of what Angel Reese is getting into is, I don’t know if it’s a program or what, but it’ll be AI (Artificial Intelligence) helping block all the hate speech. I love this.”
The young center has already experienced the ugly side of fame. She has coped well so far and is taking measures to ensure that continues to be the case.
