Angel Reese's Chicago Sky teammate, Ariel Atkins, came to her defense while speaking with reporters after the team's blowout loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday. Reese finished the game with 17 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists.
“This is a 23-year-old kid and the amount of crap that she gets on day-to-day, and she still shows up,” Atkins said, as caught by People. “Whatever questions y'all got about our team, basketball-wise we appreciate it, but all the other nonsense, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do. We’re having a hard time right now at the end of the day."
She continued: "Her crown is heavy, so whatever else y’all wanna come at her for the way that she acts, she has to build a wall. She has to have a wall. Because if she doesn’t, people will break her down. Not only because of the way that she looks, but because of the way she carries herself.”
Reese ended up replying to a video of Atkins' comments on X (formerly Twitter): "Love my Vet man," with a heart emoji. Fans in the replies joined in with supportive messages as well. "Keep ya head up gang, you’ll soon see this world so evil," one user wrote. Another added: "Some will say having vets aren't important though. This is one of the reasons why it is."
Angel Reese BET Sportswoman Of The Year
The drama comes after Angel Reese took home the BET Award for Sportswoman of the Year in Los Angeles on Monday night. It marked the third year in a row she took home the award, following her iconic senior season at LSU and rookie year in the WNBA.
The win sparked a harsh response from boxer Claressa Shields, who felt she was more deserving. "Still don’t know how I didn’t win the Sportswoman of the Year for the @BETAwards but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees," Shields wrote on X with a shrug emoji. "I just thought accolades mattered."
