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Angel Reese is making it clear what she believes her impact has been on the WNBA while speaking about taking the “bad guy” role in the sport.
According to WGN-TV, Reese spoke to reporters on Monday, June 3. During her appearance, the 22-year-old addressed the “negative things” that have been said about her in the media.
“It all started from the National Championship game, and I’ve been dealing with this for two years now, and understanding, yeah, negative things have probably been said about me, but honestly, I’ll take that ’cause look at where women’s basketball is,” Reese said.
As Reese continued, the WNBA rookie shared her opinion on her impact on women’s basketball. Additionally, Reese declared that she’ll take the “bad guy” role in the sport. However, the 22-year-old made it clear that there isn’t just one superstar in the sport.
“People are talking about women’s basketball that you never would think would talk about women’s basketball,” she said. “People are pulling up to games — celebrities are coming to games, sold-out arenas, just because of one single game. Just looking at that, I’ll take that role. I’ll take the bad guy role, and I’ll continue to take that on and be that for my teammates… And I know I’ll go down in history. I’ll look back in 20 years and be like, ‘Yeah, the reason we’re watching women’s basketball is not just because of one person, it’s because of me too,’ and I want y’all to realize that.”
According to the outlet, Reese also acknowledged that “a lot” of “great” women players have “done so much for this game.”
“There are so many great players in this league that have deserved this for a really, really long time. Luckily, it’s coming now,” she concluded.
Social media users reacted to Reese’s statements in The Shade Room’s comment section.
While Instagram user @tonybaker added, “I know of Clark because of Angel and that hand wave. I know both of them because of that moment.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Angel Reese initially made headlines in April 2023. At the time, her former collegiate team, the Louisiana State Tigers, faced off against the Iowa Hawkeyes at an NAACP title game.
Additionally, Reese went viral after throwing up John Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” hand gesture to opposite player Caitlin Clark. To note, Clark also used the hand gesture in prior games toward other players.
Despite both players using the gesture, Reese received widespread criticism, which she addressed after the Tigers’ victory.
“The narrative — I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit into the box that y’all want me to be in. ‘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,” she explained.
According to the New York Post, Reese and Clark’s “rivalry” appears to have continued from their collegiate careers into their recent draft into the WNBA.
In April, Reese was drafted into the Chicago Sky team, while Clark joined the Indiana Fever. Since then, the pair have continued to make headlines with their WNBA entrance. Most recently, Clark made headlines after alleging that she was “getting hammered” on the court and that “everyone” was getting “physical” with her, per The Shade Room.
Shortly after, Reese’s fellow Chicago Sky player Chennedy Carter shoulder-checked Clark, committing a hard foul on her during a recent game.
During the post-game press meeting, Charter reacted to the incident by saying she didn’t want to speak on Clark.
Meanwhile, Reese caught heat for not being present at the meeting, and she was fined $1,000 while her team was hit with a $5,000 violation.
