Angel Reese has taken a crafty, scrappy and mouthy road to her first ever Game 7 in WNBA history.
She has already made her presence heard in the series, taunting Golden State with a “too small” gesture. But Reese’s history of making statements stretches back well before her first Finals appearance.
From her championship-game taunts directed at Caitlin Clark in college to public criticism of her own team in Chicago, Reese has repeatedly made headlines with her words and gestures. Those moments have sparked debates over sportsmanship, player treatment and the scrutiny that comes with stardom.
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Reese has, at times, explicitly embraced the attention.
“I’ll take the bad guy role,” she said in June 2024, while arguing that she also deserved credit for women’s basketball’s growing popularity.
As she prepares for Saturday’s championship showdown, here is a look back at the trash talk, pointed comments and public clashes that have accompanied her rise.
Much of the world was introduced to Angel Reese at the end of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.
After her LSU Tigers knocked off Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes, Reese made a gesture that changed the sport forever.
As LSU closed out its 102-85 national championship victory over Iowa, Reese waved her hand in front of her face in Clark’s direction, then pointed toward her ring finger. The “you can’t see me” gesture, popularized by wrestler John Cena, was one Clark had used during Iowa’s Elite Eight win over Louisville.
The celebration became a debate of its own. Critics accused Reese of poor sportsmanship, while defenders questioned why her gesture drew backlash when Clark’s had been celebrated. Reese, named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, stood by it.
“I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in,” Reese told reporters afterward. “But when other people do it, y’all say nothing.”
Clark herself declined to join the criticism.
“I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all,” she told ESPN two days later, defending trash talk as part of competition.
Reese’s next public clash reached the White House.
A day after LSU won the national championship, then-first lady Jill Biden suggested that runner-up Iowa should also visit the White House, an honor traditionally reserved for the champions.
Reese’s response was short: “A JOKE.” She posted it on Twitter with three laughing emojis.
Biden’s office subsequently clarified that her suggestion was meant to celebrate the historic game and women athletes, and that she looked forward to hosting LSU. Reese remained unimpressed, referring to that response as an apology during an appearance on the “Paper Route” podcast.
“I don’t accept the apology,” Reese said.
She argued that LSU would not have received an invitation had it lost, then offered an alternative destination.
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“They can have that spotlight. We’ll go to the Obamas. We’ll see Michelle. We’ll see Barack.”
President Joe Biden ultimately invited LSU and men’s champion Connecticut, without including Iowa. By April 7, Reese said she would attend with her teammates, explaining that she wanted to do what was best for the team.
The episode ended with a warmer exchange: Reese attended the May 26 celebration, hugged Jill Biden and presented her with a jersey.
Reese left her final SEC championship game with a loss and a message for the winners.
LSU, the defending national champion, had been trying to hand undefeated South Carolina its first loss of the season. The Gamecocks held on for a 79-72 victory in Greenville, South Carolina, after a physical game that boiled over into a late confrontation.
Reese and South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso had spent much of the afternoon battling inside. During the second quarter, Reese pulled Cardoso’s hair as she headed upcourt. On another possession, Cardoso pushed Reese in the back, and Reese responded with an elbow to Cardoso’s face that drew an intentional foul.
The scuffle near the end of the game began with other players.
With South Carolina ahead 73-66 and 2:08 remaining, LSU guard Flau’jae Johnson committed an intentional foul on MiLaysia Fulwiley after a turnover. Johnson then bumped South Carolina’s Ashlyn Watkins while heading toward her bench. Cardoso rushed in and shoved Johnson to the floor.
Cardoso was ejected for fighting, and five other players were ejected for leaving their benches.
Reese walked away from the confrontation and was not ejected. But her postgame comments threw a jab in a different way.
“We’re not scared of South Carolina,” she told reporters, repeating the declaration before offering a warning to LSU’s upcoming NCAA Tournament opponents.
“Anybody seeing us moving forward should be scared.”
Reese was three games into her WNBA career when she weighed in on who deserved credit for the league’s growing spotlight.
After Chicago’s 90-81 victory over the New York Liberty, she celebrated the win with a pointed post on X.
“and that’s on getting a WIN in a packed area not just cause of one player on our charter flight,” Reese wrote, adding a kissing emoji. She subsequently deleted the post.
The comment followed Charles Barkley’s criticism of WNBA players he accused of being petty toward Clark. Barkley said they should thank the Indiana Fever rookie for the attention and money she was bringing to the league, including its newly introduced charter flights.
The WNBA had announced its full charter program earlier that month, citing years of work to strengthen its business.
Although many interpreted Reese’s post as a swipe at Clark, Reese later told the Chicago Sun-Times that Barkley was her target.
“He knows it was directed towards him and whoever is not actually educated on what’s going on in the league,” she said.
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Reese argued that numerous players, including herself, had contributed to the WNBA’s growth.
Reese’s first WNBA meeting with Clark brought a controversial foul, a fine and another declaration about her place in the spotlight.
During Indiana’s 71-70 victory over Chicago, Sky guard Chennedy Carter knocked Clark to the floor with an away-from-the-ball shoulder check. The WNBA subsequently upgraded the foul to a flagrant 1.
Broadcast footage showed Reese standing and clapping from Chicago’s bench after the contact, drawing further scrutiny. The league also fined Reese $1,000 for failing to make herself available for postgame interviews.
Speaking to reporters June 3, Reese said she was willing to embrace an unpopular role as women’s basketball continued attracting new audiences.
“I’ll take the ‘bad guy’ role,” she said.
She pointed back to LSU’s 2023 championship game against Iowa and the attention that had followed, arguing that the sport’s growth extended beyond one player.
“It’s because of me, too, and I want y’all to realize that,” Reese said.
Reese’s next complaint came after her own foul on Clark went to review.
During the third quarter of Indiana’s 91-83 victory over Chicago, Reese attempted to block a Clark layup and struck her across the head, sending her to the floor. Officials initially called a common foul, then upgraded it to a flagrant 1 after reviewing the play.
Reese defended her attempt to contest the shot.
“It was a basketball play. I can’t control the refs,” she said afterward.
She also argued that Chicago had not received enough calls when attacking the basket, saying a review of the film showed missed fouls.
“I guess some people got a special whistle,” Reese said, without naming a player.
Reese and fellow Sky rookie Kamilla Cardoso each finished with five fouls. Chicago coach Teresa Weatherspoon also expressed frustration with calls she believed her post players should have received.
Clark offered a more restrained assessment of the contact.
“It’s just part of basketball,” she said, adding that Reese “was trying to make a play on the ball.”
Reese turned criticism of her rebounding into a challenge for her opponents.
During an episode of “Unapologetically Angel” featuring Dwyane Wade, she defended the skill that had become her calling card during her rookie season.
“Why don’t y’all box me out? How come y’all don’t box me out?” Reese asked.
Her rebounding had become a recurring point of debate, with critics highlighting possessions in which she collected her own missed shots. Reese argued that her success on the glass was being turned into a reason to criticize her.
She finished the season leading the WNBA with 13.1 rebounds per game, including a league-best 5.1 offensive rebounds. She also shot 39.1% from the field.
Reese acknowledged during the conversation that her offense needed work and said improving it would be an offseason priority. Her message about rebounding was more defiant: opponents had their chance to stop her.
Reese took her trash talk to the Unrivaled League — and a television microphone picked it up.
During a timeout in the first season of Unrivaled, the offseason 3-on-3 league, Reese delivered a blunt assessment of New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu’s defense.
“Sabrina can’t f—ing guard!” Reese said while her Rose BC coach, Nola Henry, was wearing a microphone. Ionescu was playing for the opposing Phantom BC.
Phantom won 75-63 behind Ionescu’s 32 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. She also blocked a Reese layup in the fourth quarter. Reese finished with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Asked about the remark during a Ringer NBA Show interview released Feb. 18, Ionescu defended trash talk as an ordinary part of basketball. She also had a reminder about the result.
“I don’t pay too much mind to that one because we won and I had 32 points,” Ionescu said.
Reese’s next Unrivaled milestone came with an early exit.
During Rose BC’s game against Laces BC, Reese received two technical fouls late in the second quarter after being called for a foul while guarding Tiffany Hayes.
Reese waved her hand after the call, drawing the first technical. She appeared to argue that her gesture was directed at Hayes rather than the referee, but received a second technical and was ejected — a first for the new league.
“While I understood her frustration completely, she’ll grow from that in terms of keeping her composure,” Rose coach Nola Henry said.
Reese finished with six points and 15 rebounds, and Rose won 83-69.
Her response continued on X.
“Happy BHM. yall know i had to be the first,” Reese posted, referring to Black History Month.
She also called Sports Illustrated’s coverage of the ejection “clickbait,” adding, “everything i do keep going viral.”
Reese borrowed the Lunar Owls’ celebration after helping spoil their perfect start in Unrivaled.
She delivered 22 points and 21 rebounds — the league’s first 20-point, 20-rebound performance — as Rose BC beat the previously unbeaten Owls 72-63 on Feb. 21. The Owls entered the game 8-0.
As Reese left the court, she flapped her arms and shouted “Hootie Hoo,” mimicking her opponents’ signature chant.
Reese’s second WNBA season opened with another confrontation with Clark.
With 4:38 left in the third quarter of Chicago’s opener against Indiana, Clark committed a hard foul after Reese grabbed an offensive rebound, knocking Reese to the floor. Reese jumped up and moved toward Clark before Fever center Aliyah Boston stepped between them.
Officials upgraded Clark’s foul to a flagrant 1 after reviewing the play and assessed offsetting technical fouls to Reese and Boston.
Crew chief Roy Gulbeyan explained afterward that Clark’s foul involved unnecessary contact. He described Reese’s penalty as a “verbal technical” and Boston’s as a “physical taunt technical.”
Reese kept her postgame assessment brief.
“Basketball play. Refs got it right. Move on,” she said.
Clark said during an in-game interview that there was “nothing malicious” about the foul.
Indiana won 93-58. Clark finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists, while Reese recorded 12 points and 17 rebounds.
Reese decided the risk of a fine was worth airing her complaints about WNBA officiating.
After Chicago’s 80-75 loss to Minnesota, she said she had questioned an official about the Sky’s lack of free throws entering the fourth quarter. According to Reese, the official responded that it was “not her job.”
Chicago finished with eight free-throw attempts to Minnesota’s 17. Four of the Lynx’s attempts came after Chicago fouled in the final 15 seconds.
Reese called for the officiating to improve and dismissed the potential financial penalty as cheap.
“I don’t give a damn if I get fined,” she said. “I am tired of this s—.”
She carried that frustration onto X, describing a photo showing contact around her waist during a rebound as “diabolical.”
In another post, she shared her press conference comments and tagged the WNBA with a message: “idgaf. DO BETTER.”
Reese appeared to push back against former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III’s claimed inside scoop on her relationship with Clark.
In a July 10 post condemning a racist image of Reese, Griffin also claimed people in her circle had contacted him and claimed she had grown to hate Clark.
Hours later, Reese posted a pointed response without naming Griffin.
“lying on this app when everybody know the first and last name of everybody in my circle for clout is nastyyyy work,” she wrote.
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Reese’s assessment of Chicago’s roster brought consequences from her own organization.
In a Chicago Tribune interview published Sept. 3, Reese called for roster upgrades and raised the possibility of eventually leaving if the Sky didn’t improve.
“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” she said.
She specifically questioned relying on point guard Courtney Vandersloot, then 36 and recovering from a season-ending ACL injury.
“We can’t rely on Courtney to come back at the age that she’s at,” Reese said. She also said Vandersloot could remain an asset, while advocating for a younger, experienced guard.
In a televised interview, Vandersloot said: “My age is absolutely not a factor. I am coming back.”
Rachel Banham told the Sun-Times she felt “blindsided” by Reese’s comments. Players held a meeting after their Sept. 3 game, and Reese apologized.
“I didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates,” Reese said, arguing that her language had been taken out of context.
On Sept. 5, the Sky announced Reese was suspended for the first-half of a Sept. 7 game against Las Vegas, citing “statements detrimental to the team.”
Reese ultimately missed the second half, too, with a back injury.
It marked the beginning of the end of Reese in Chicago, as she was traded to the Atlanta Dream ahead of the 2026 season, in April.
Eleven days after Chicago traded her to Atlanta for two first-round draft picks, Reese used her introductory news conference to explain what she wanted from her new basketball home.
“I enjoyed being able to grow within my first two years, but I wanted more. I love to win, I love to compete and I wanted to be surrounded by people that can make me better,” she said. “I don’t care about anything else that comes with it. I want to win and being able to come to an organization that really cared about their players.”
Reese’s back-and-forth with a former teammate ended with that teammate getting tossed.
Reese and Toronto Tempo forward Isabelle Harrison, who played together in Chicago during Reese’s 2024 rookie season, had been jawing throughout their matchup in Toronto. Their encounter escalated in the third quarter.
With 6:05 remaining in the period, Harrison pulled Reese to the floor as the Atlanta forward worked inside. Players from both teams converged, and Reese’s teammates pulled her away. Officials initially called a common foul, then upgraded it to a flagrant 2 after reviewing the play, ejecting Harrison. No additional penalties were assessed during the confrontation.
Harrison had scored 17 points before her early exit. Reese remained in the game and finished with 15 points and 17 rebounds, including a career-high 11 offensive boards, as Atlanta won 102-77.
Reese took aim at All-Star voting after Atlanta failed to land a single starter.
Speaking before the Dream’s July 2 game against Washington, Reese called the results “disrespectful,” particularly toward teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray. She credited the guards with driving Atlanta’s success and said she would speak up for them.
“For us not to have anyone was just a slap in the face, but they’re not going to say anything. I am.”
Reese also congratulated the selected starters and said they deserved their spots. She expected Atlanta’s players to make the roster when reserves were announced.
The starting lineup came from a weighted vote: Fans accounted for 50%, with players and media contributing 25% each. Howard and Gray finished fifth and sixth among guards, with four starting spots available. Reese finished seventh among frontcourt players, one place outside the six-player cutoff.
Five days later, all three were announced as All-Star reserves, selected by the league’s head coaches.
Reese gave Jonquel Jones the “too small” treatment. Jones returned the favor.
During Atlanta’s September matchup with New York, Reese backed down the Liberty center and scored a short shot in the second quarter. She followed the basket with the familiar gesture, pinching her fingers together to suggest Jones couldn’t handle her inside.
Jones answered in the third quarter. She backed Reese toward the basket, scored as Reese fell to the floor and delivered her own “too small” celebration.
Both finished with double-doubles: Reese had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Jones recorded 18 points and 12 boards. Atlanta won 95-84, moving closer to securing home-court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs.
Reese picked up a technical for taunting Washington, then waved the Mystics out of the playoffs.
With 4:08 remaining in Game 2 of their first-round series, Reese blocked Michaela Onyenwere’s layup and grabbed the rebound. She turned to exchange words with Onyenwere, who swatted the ball from her hand. Officials assessed Reese a technical foul for taunting.
After Atlanta completed its 93-75 victory and two-game sweep, Reese and teammate Allisha Gray raised their hands and waved goodbye toward Washington’s players.
Veteran teammate DeWanna Bonner stepped between them and pulled both players’ hands down.
Reese finished with 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks as Atlanta advanced to the semifinals.
Speaking afterward, she praised Washington’s young roster and predicted future success for the Mystics. But she also offered her assessment of the series: “the best team came out on top.”
Reese had words for two Liberty stars as Atlanta closed out New York.
The first exchange followed a second-quarter basket by Dream rookie Isobel Borlase, who appeared to push off against Sabrina Ionescu without drawing an offensive foul. On the next possession, Ionescu pushed Borlase while setting a screen and was called for an offensive foul.
Reese ran over and repeatedly spoke to Ionescu. Rhyne Howard stepped between them and pushed Ionescu, while Reese continued talking before DeWanna Bonner led her away. Officials reviewed the confrontation and assessed no technical fouls, ruling that no hostile act had occurred.
Minutes later, Jonquel Jones blocked Reese’s shot and bumped her with her chest. The two stood chest-to-chest and exchanged words before teammates separated them. This time, both received technical fouls.
Reese finished with 22 points and nine rebounds in Atlanta’s 85-83 victory, completing a three-game sweep and sending the Dream to their first Finals since 2013.
Afterward, Reese described competing against respected peers as “literally war,” adding that “the respect is given.”
Reese brought her “too small” taunt to the Finals, along with her running commentary.
During Game 2, Reese and Valkyries center Aminata Gueye exchanged words while Reese stood at the free-throw line following a foul by Gueye. Reese made both shots, then blocked Gueye’s layup on Golden State’s next possession. She finished with 30 points and 16 rebounds in Atlanta’s 79-65 victory, evening the series.
In Game 3, Reese pinched her fingers together toward Golden State players in the familiar taunting gesture. Photographers also captured her making it after the victory, with teammates laughing beside her.
Reese contributed 21 points and 12 rebounds as Atlanta won 97-71 and took a 2-1 series lead.
Speaking to reporters on Oct. 23, she explained her effort to unsettle Golden State.
“They’re playing into my mental game where I can take their confidence and just try to do whatever to mess them up,” she said.
She also said Golden State’s home atmosphere at Chase Center, nicknamed Ballhalla, did not intimidate her and suggested Atlanta presented a tougher environment for visiting players.
The Valkyries responded. Kaila Charles emphasized the need to match Atlanta’s energy and answer its trash talk. During Game 4, broadcast cameras caught Charles pushing Reese’s arm as Atlanta gathered for a huddle. Reese pushed back, and the two exchanged words. Golden State won 67-62 to tie the series.
Golden State also won Game 5, putting Atlanta one loss from elimination. The Dream answered Thursday with an 80-69 Game 6 victory. Reese recorded 15 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, while Allisha Gray scored 23 points and Rhyne Howard added 21.
That sends the series back to Ballhalla for the first Game 7 in WNBA Finals history. Tipoff is Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Chase Center, with both franchises seeking their first championship.
