Angel Reese has criticized the media for making her a villain and profiting from the Chicago Sky rookie’s ‘pain’.
“For the past two years,” she wrote on X, “the media has profited from my pain and villainizing me to create a narrative.” They allowed this. This was beneficial for them.”
Reese had a disappointing end to her first WNBA season, which ended with a wrist injury earlier this month. The Sky ultimately finished out of the playoffs.
But the former LSU star wasn’t lamenting his team’s disappointment or losing AP Rookie of the Year honors to Caitlin Clark. Instead, Reese is upset with the treatment she and other players have received in what has been a tremendously profitable year for the WNBA.
“Sometimes I share my experiences of things that have happened to me, but I have also allowed this to happen to me for too long and now other players in this league are dealing with and experiencing the same things,” Reese wrote.
Reese attends the game between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers
“This is not good at all,” he continued. ‘Anything that goes beyond criticism about playing the sport we love is wrong. I feel sorry for all the players who have/continue to experience the same things as me.’
Reese ended her post by discussing her new podcast, which she sees as a way to interact with fans without the media filter.
“That’s why I started my podcast,” he wrote. ‘To reclaim my voice and create the narrative of who I really am. At the end of the day, I don’t want an apology nor do I think this will ever end, but something has to change.”
Reese’s post comes an hour after another social media message along the same lines, with clearly an important issue in mind.
“I’ve never had privilege in my life, but I definitely know the power I have through my platform,” Reese said. “That didn’t happen overnight. I grew it on my own. That said, I will continue to use my voice the right way and say the right thing even though being this “villain” has backfired on me. I won’t stop!!’
Reese has been at the forefront of the rise in popularity of women’s basketball and is considered one of Clark’s main rivals.
It was during the 2023 NCAA championship game between Clark’s Iowa and Reese’s LSU where the now-Sky star pointed his ring finger in Clark’s face after the Tigers secured the victory.