LSU’s Angel Reese on Caitlin Clark taunting backlash: ‘When other people do it, y’all say nothing’
LSU’s Angel Reese caused a social media uproar Sunday after taunting Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in the final seconds of the Tigers’ 102-85 victory in the NCAA women’s national championship game.
Reese waved her hand in front of her face, then later pointed toward her finger as if to say a ring was coming.
Reese isn’t apologizing.
Here’s what the LSU star had to say when asked about the incident and if she is glad people are talking about women’s basketball.
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“I’m happy,” she said. “I mean, all year I was critiqued about who I was. Nobody — I don’t — the narrative, I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year.
“But when other people do it, y’all say nothing. So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. That’s what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me.
“Twitter is going to go on a rage every time, and I’m happy. I feel like I’ve helped grow women’s basketball this year. I’m super happy and excited. So I’m looking forward to celebrating in the next season.”
If she saw Reese’s gestures, Clark didn’t seem concerned about them.
“I was just trying to get to the handshake line and shake hands and be grateful that my team was in that position,” said Clark, who scored 30 points. “That’s all you can do is hold your head high, be proud of what you did. All the credit in the world to LSU. They were tremendous.”
In the final seconds of the game, Reese taunted Clark with one of Clark’s own moves, the John Cena “you can’t see me” hand gesture.
Mark Heim is a sports reporter for The Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @Mark_Heim.