Angel Reese wasn’t lying in early April when she said she wanted to “get knocked down and learn and grow at the next level.” The Chicago Sky rookie has been knocked down and gets back up gracefully every time.
Reese got a clothesline in the neck during the Sky’s 86-82 loss to the Connecticut Sun on Saturday night, courtesy of veteran Alyssa Thomas. Thomas put her arm – and her hand – on Reese’s neck as the two fought for a rebound in the third quarter and Reese went down hard.
Thomas was called for the first flagrant foul 2 of her career and was ejected. After the game, Reese said she doesn’t think she’s treated differently on the floor because she’s a rookie — it’s all basketball.
“It’s not just because I’m a rookie. I am a player. I’m a basketball player,” Reese said, via The Athletic . “They don’t care if I’m a rookie. I mean, I want them to come to me every day. I want them to come at everyone.”
Reese emphasized that she believes she is just a basketball player and should not be treated any differently than anyone else on the floor.
Angel Reese on that hard foul by Alyssa Thomas that led to an ejection: “They don’t care if I’m a rookie. … They’re not supposed to be nice to me. … Thanks AT for sending me a message because I got back up and kept going. pic.twitter.com/tZUsMjSm8g
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) May 26, 2024
“I mean, they’re not supposed to be nice to me. I hope you all know that. They’re not supposed to be nice to me or lie down because I’m Angel Reese or because I’m a rookie. Thanks AT for sending me a message because I got back up and I kept going and kept pushing. Like me and AT, we’ve been cool since we were in Maryland, so I know there are no hard feelings for me today or any day.”
What could have made this situation awkward was that before the game, Reese had said how much she admired Thomas, who, like her, went to Maryland.
Angel Reese spoke before the game about how excited she was to face Alyssa Thomas and Bri Jones, who she has admired since they were at Maryland: “Those are players I have had my eye on.” pic.twitter.com/K0MJLbhZvb
— Julia Poe (@byjuliapoe) May 26, 2024
But Reese later said she didn’t think Thomas insulted her that way on purpose, and that her opinion of the longtime WNBA star hadn’t changed.
“No hard feelings for AT,” Reese said, via The Athletic. “I know she probably didn’t do it against me on purpose, but just being able to come out and be strong and be on both feet, it would be a tough match and I’m built for that.”
