Angel Reese bought candid concerning the cyberbullying she has confronted from followers since successful the nationwide title in 2023 and becoming a member of the WNBA one 12 months later.
“I’ve experienced it,” Reese stated in an interview with ESPN forward of the league’s All-Star Recreation. “It was exhausting for me at first. After I received the nationwide championship, my entire life modified. That was the primary time I had seen negativity like that on social media. I believed I had an enormous following earlier than, nevertheless it skyrocketed to thousands and thousands. It was larger than basketball once they had been discovering my tackle, my automobile. I needed to change my entire way of life.
“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.”
Reese has confronted loads of negativity and criticism, and she or he referred to different gamers within the WNBA as her “sisters” who “really, really care about me.”
She turned an prompt movie star after serving to LSU win the nationwide title in 2023 and creating what followers labeled a rivalry towards then-Iowa and now-Fever star Caitlin Clark — one thing that has continued on the skilled degree.
“This is the closest I’ve been to these players,” Reese informed ESPN. “Last year, I wasn’t that close. When I was in Phoenix [for 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.”
Reese, who was drafted No. 7 total by the Sky in 2024, made a second consecutive All-Star Recreation this 12 months after averaging 14.0 factors and 12.6 rebounds by her first 21 video games.
