Angel Reese's life has been no picnic since Louisiana State University women's basketball team won the national championship in 2023.
After LSU's crushing defeat against Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday, Reese took some time during the postgame conference to reflect on the tough year she's had since winning it all last year. According to Reese, she's received death threats and been "sexualized."
"I've been through so much," she said. "I've seen so much. I've been attacked so many times, death threats, I've been sexualized, I've been threatened, I've been so many things, and I've stood strong every single time."
She added, "I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don't want them to see me down and not be there for them… I'm still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship, and I said that the other day I haven't been happy since then, and it sucks, but I still wouldn't change anything, and I would still sit here and say I'm unapologetically me. I'm going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that."
Reese's LSU teammate, Flau'jae Johnson, also spoke, calling Reese a "strong" person who has the weight of the world on her shoulders.
"Man, let me tell you something. Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese, but y'all don't know her," Johnson said. "I know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see every day is a strong person, is a caring, loving person. But the crown she wears is heavy."
Hailey Van Lith, another one of Reese's teammates, spoke highly of her as well, and commented on how people bombard her with unwarranted negativity.
"I think Angel is one of the toughest people I've been around," she said. "People speak hate into her life. I've never seen people wish bad things on someone as much as her, and it does not affect her. She comes to practice every day. She lives her life every day. She lives how she wants to live, and she don't let nobody change that."
Since winning the national championship last year, Reese has become a major celebrity. She helped shine a bigger light on women's basketball and with that came the praise and adulation from other celebrities including Jay-Z, Beyoncé, and Floyd Mayweather.
In last night's game, Reese put up 17 points and 20 rebounds, her 10th consecutive double-double in the tournament. Reese has yet to state if she will return to LSU for her senior year or if she will throw her name into this month's WNBA draft, where she is a projected first-round pick.
