Angel Reese has taken a crafty, scrappy and mouthy road to her first ever Game 7 in WNBA history.
asserted
Reese → take → history
She has already made her presence heard in the series, taunting Golden State with a "too small" gesture.
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presence → make → gesture
But Reese’s history of making statements stretches back well before her first Finals appearance.
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history → make → 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.
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Reese → direct → words
Those moments have sparked debates over sportsmanship, player treatment and the scrutiny that comes with stardom.
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that → spark → stardom
Reese has, at times, explicitly embraced the attention.
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Reese → embrace → 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.
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she → take → 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.
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that → prepare → rise
Much of the world was introduced to Angel Reese at the end of the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Championship.
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Much → introduce → Championship
After her LSU Tigers knocked off Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes, Reese made a gesture that changed the sport forever.
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that → knock → sport
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.
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Reese → close → 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.
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Clark → see → Louisville
The celebration became a debate of its own.
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celebration → become → own
Critics accused Reese of poor sportsmanship, while defenders questioned why her gesture drew backlash when Clark’s had been celebrated.
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Clark → accuse → backlash
Reese, named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, stood by it.
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Reese → name → it
"I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in," Reese told reporters afterward.
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Reese → fit → reporters
"But when other people do it, y’all say nothing."
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all → do → nothing
Clark herself declined to join the criticism.
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Clark → decline → criticism
"I don’t think Angel should be criticized at all," she told ESPN two days later, defending trash talk as part of competition.
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she → think → competition
April 3–7, 2023 — ‘We’ll go to the Obamas’
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We → go → Obamas
Reese’s next public clash reached the White House.
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clash → reach → 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.
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Iowa → win → champions
She posted it on Twitter with three laughing emojis.
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She → post → 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.
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she → clarify → LSU
Reese remained unimpressed, referring to that response as an apology during an appearance on the "Paper Route" podcast.
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Reese → remain → podcast
"I don’t accept the apology," Reese said.
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Reese → accept → apology
She argued that LSU would not have received an invitation had it lost, then offered an alternative destination.
"
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it → argue → destination
They can have that spotlight.
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They → have → spotlight
We’ll go to the Obamas.
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We → go → Obamas
We’ll see Michelle.
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We → see → Michelle
We’ll see Barack."
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We → see → Barack
President Joe Biden ultimately invited LSU and men’s champion Connecticut, without including Iowa.
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Biden → invite → Iowa
By April 7, Reese said she would attend with her teammates, explaining that she wanted to do what was best for the team.
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what → say → team
The episode ended with a warmer exchange: Reese attended the May 26 celebration, hugged Jill Biden and presented her with a jersey.
March 10, 2024 — ‘Not scared of South Carolina’
Reese left her final SEC championship game with a loss and a message for the winners.
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Reese → end → winners
LSU, the defending national champion, had been trying to hand undefeated South Carolina its first loss of the season.
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LSU → defend → 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.
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that → hold → confrontation
Reese and South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso had spent much of the afternoon battling inside.
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Reese → spend → afternoon
During the second quarter, Reese pulled Cardoso’s hair as she headed upcourt.
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she → pull → hair
On another possession, Cardoso pushed Reese in the back, and Reese responded with an elbow to Cardoso’s face that drew an intentional foul.
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that → push → foul
The scuffle near the end of the game began with other players.
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scuffle → begin → players
…and 176 more, not listed.
The Aporia
