After losing in the Elite Eight to Iowa, following a very subpar game in which she continuously missed easy shots, was visibly frustrated by her teammates and expressed losing body language, the normally-outspoken Angel Reese, who just a few days earlier told an adult coach on the opposing team to “watch ya mouth” was very somber on the podium.
A completely different person after the humbling loss, than she’s been the last few seasons – at least publicly. She’s supposed to be the dog of dogs and the supreme leader according to her wingwoman Flau’Jae Johnson, who pontificated about how much Reese means to her and the team. “She wears a heavy crown,” is what Johnson said.
Angel Reese goes From Villain to Victim
At some point, the presser turned into a pity party. These proud women, who never back down from a challenge or a Tweet on X. The players who engaged in a near-brawl with South Carolina, where Johnson’s brother hopped over the trainer’s table and onto the court to confront a female basketball player. They admitted they had no answer for Clark, but still managed to shift the focus from their play to how they were treated in the press and on social media.
Reese talked about how she was “attacked so many times” and Johnson says the media twisted things and called her the villain.
They blamed the media for attacking them. Blamed the media and men for “sexualizing” Angel Reese, who voluntarily did a Sports illustrated Swimsuit spread, which is geared toward men and selling sexy.
That reaction inspired a spirited take by Emmanuel Acho on his show.
“Nobody has sympathy for the villain,” he said. “You (Reese) painted the bull’s-eye on your back, why are you surprised when people shoot at you?”
Acho isn’t wrong, and, honestly, Ms. Reese, please, don’t insult our intelligence. The attention LSU women have received is directly related to their personalities and antics on and off the court. I’ve personally been very supportive of the team, their coach Kim Mulkey and their style of play, which has already proved to be championship caliber.
Somewhere along the line, the money and fame seeped into that locker room. To deny it would be disingenuous. To blame the media, misogyny and male attitudes toward women and women’s hoops is suspect. The fame game is different from the sports and competition game, but it makes you the most money.
Angel Reese Wants The Star Power, Money Without The Costs
LSU star Angel Reese falls into a category of a celebrity wanting to have her cake and eat it too.
The self-proclaimed villain of women’s college hoops flaunts her NIL deals, telling others to “get yo money up,” and captivated the sports world last season by leading LSU to a national championship and getting the best of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark.
Since that winning moment, Reese’s life went from unknown women’s basketball player to celebrity figure and social media hottie. A Reebok deal, Shaq walking her out for senior night, and millions of eyes on her.
On the road to riches and diamond rings, clout chasing and pretty things, there’s always some backlash for the individual who is rising in stature. Especially when they are always throwing their superiority and magnificence in the face of the less fortunate or uninterested.
Those over-the-top personalities create a great fodder for those just looking for a famous target to talk about that day. Keith Olbermann was dead wrong when he called Reese an “idiot” for taunting Caitlin Clark in last season’s NCAA final.
Reese fed into all of it, and it benefited her well.
Playing The Villain Has Made Reese A Celebrity
Reese was the one who put a crown on the empty seat along the bench while Clark was shooting warmup buckets prior to dropping 41 points and, according to Paul Pierce, shocking the culture.
“Success is hard to handle and as a young athlete, as a woman in this game things are thrown at you and that’s what you have to expect,” Pierce said on “Undisputed.” “Everybody’s not going to like you, everybody’s not going to be on your side. That’s what success is all about.”
That’s a tough L to take, but such is the fame game. The constant criticism and alleged death threats are the dark side of a quick rise.
Does Angel Reese Still Have The Fire, Desire To Be Great In Hoops?
LSU’s players chose to teeter that line between reality star and college student playing on a top 5 team in the nation. It’s really hard to do both, and these women executed it as best as they could. Kim Mulkey deserves more credit for keeping this team together, especially in the aftermath of the SEC Tournament.
But the fire for competition on the court seemed to leave Angel Reese a while ago. And while her natural talents are still very evident, and she is still considered one of the nation’s best players, there’s no doubt her new life took its toll on the team, from the time she “stepped away” for a few games early in the season.
With that being said, unwarranted social media attacks are rough for anybody, but unless you have elevated to a level where people are invested in your success or failure enough to even make you the center of conversation, nobody is even going to care about you.
Moments like these are when we scrutinize an individual to see if they are as-advertised. While Flau’Jae Johnson spoke eloquently and convincingly for the character, strength and leadership abilities of her captain, the pity party was unnecessary and nothing more than a distraction from the fact that LSU couldn’t put their money where their mouth was against Caitlin Clark.
With her college career behind her as Reese has declared for the WNBA Draft, she can fully immerse herself into her branding as an adult. But know that there’s more hard work ahead trying to establish herself in the professional ranks with a bullseye on her back coming in.
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