Angel Reese received a very hard foul from Alyssa Thomas during the Chicago Sky's game against the Connecticut Sun, which has caused a lot of conversation. In fact, it was an immediate point of contention and scrutiny in the game itself, as the refs ejected Thomas after the foul. However, its recipient reminded folks that basketball is just an obviously physical and hard-fought sport, and that not every blow struck has intentions of representing actual animosity. During the post-game interview and a simple tweet after the game, Reese cleared the air on the Thomas foul and gave her props for keeping things competitive and earnest.
"Not just 'cause I'm a rookie, I'm a player," Angel Reese told reporters at the crowd during the Chicago Sky's post-game conference. "I'm a basketball player, they don't give a damn if I'm a rookie. I mean, I want them to come at me every day, I want them to come at everybody. I mean, they're not supposed to be nice to me, I hope y'all know that. They're not supposed to be nice to me or lay down because I'm Angel Reese or 'cause I'm a rookie. Like, thank you AT for sending the message to me, because I got back up and I kept going and kept pushing. Like, me and AT have been cool since we were in Maryland, so I know it's not no hard feelings. I appreciate her for going at me every day. Or today."
Angel Reese Speaks & Tweets About Alyssa Thomas' Foul
Elsewhere, though, Angel Reese is making it somewhat clear who she rocks with in basketball and who she doesn't. We say "somewhat" because some fans thought that her shots at Charles Barkley equally applied to Caitlin Clark. As two of the biggest stars in women's basketball right now, it's natural for some competitive rivalry to form. But right now, it's very hard to call whether that's a media-fabricated narrative or a legit one.
Regardless, Angel Reese is rising high and fast, invoking the memory of Kobe Bryant when she got the chance to hold the Larry O'Brien trophy recently. There is seemingly no ceiling for her, and the outrage around this foul points to her superstar status. Hopefully these athletes can continue to keep competition passionate, interesting, and hard-fought without risking injury too much. At the end of the day, sports don't need excessive contact for them to cause some scary scuffles every once in a while.
