Angel Reese gets candid about cyberbullying she’s faced from WNBA fans

Angel Reese got candid about the cyberbullying she has faced from fans since winning the national title in 2023 and joining the WNBA one year later.

“I’ve experienced it,” Reese said in an interview with ESPN ahead of the league’s All-Star Game. “It was hard for me in the beginning. After I won the national championship, my whole life changed. That was the first time I had seen negativity like that on social media. I thought I had a huge following before, but it skyrocketed to millions. It was bigger than basketball when they were finding my address, my car. I had to change my whole lifestyle. 

“It doesn’t bother me as much anymore just because I feel like I’ve built a thicker skin, but not everybody has a thick skin.”

Reese has faced plenty of negativity and criticism, and she referred to other players in the WNBA as her “sisters” who “really, really care about me.”

She became an instant celebrity after helping LSU win the national title in 2023 and creating what fans labeled a rivalry against then-Iowa and now-Fever star Caitlin Clark — something that has continued at the professional level.

“This is the closest I’ve been to these players,” Reese told ESPN. “Last year, I wasn’t that close. When I was in Phoenix [for the 2024 All-Star Game], I was very quiet. I didn’t talk to anybody. That’s what I really love about this league: being able to have sisters. I don’t have any sisters. Being able to have sisters here who really, really care about me and knowing I can take that and transform that into the community.”

Reese, who was drafted No. 7 overall by the Sky in 2024, made a second consecutive All-Star Game this year after averaging 14.0 points and 12.6 rebounds through her first 21 games.