LSU star forward Angel Reese reached the mountain top of women’s college basketball on Sunday when her team beat Iowa in the national championship game—but not without some criticism. Reese taunted Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark multiple times in the game’s final moments and some fans online didn’t care for it.
Several big-name athletes defended Reese, including LeBron James, amid the criticism. The four-time NBA champion quote-tweeted a tweet that read, “Angel Reese to all the haters after winning the national championship.”
The picture shows actress Angela Bassett in the movie Waiting to Exhale walking away from a fire she started, and James showed nothing but support for the LSU star.
FACTS!!!! Love to see it https://t.co/YrrlIyg90S
— LeBron James (@KingJames) April 3, 2023
“FACTS!!!! Love to see it,” James said on Twitter.
After the game, Reese defended her actions and came after critics.
“I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in,” Reese said. “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 was for the girls that look like me.”
Reese specifically gave Clark the “you can’t see me” gesture created by wrestler John Cena—a gesture Clark has used during the tournament, one Cena even acknowledged. Afterwards, she appeared to point at her ring finger several times while staring down Clark. The Hawkeyes guard said she didn’t see Reese make either gesture in the moment.
ANGEL REESE TO CAITLIN CLARK 😳 pic.twitter.com/2NY0CEzwJ3
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 2, 2023
Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark shows her ring finger pic.twitter.com/bQn38qdkqE
— Gifdsports (@gifdsports) April 2, 2023
