LSU women’s basketball team fell short to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight round on Monday night.
Angel Reese tears up as Flau’Jae Johnson defends her from critics “Y’all don’t know Angel” pic.twitter.com/JcXDVOk5CL
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After the loss, Angel Reese and Flau’Jae Johnson shared the negative attention they have received since the team won the 2023 women’s NCAA national championship.
Reese emotionally talks about being attacked and criticized since winning the national championship last year.
Sitting in the media room, she spoke to reporters about the challenges and hardships she continues to deal with after helping LSU win it all in the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Reese said,
“I’ve been through so much; I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times. Death threats, I’ve been sexualized, I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time, and I just try to stand strong for my teammates because I don’t want them to see me down and, like, not be there for them. So, I just want them to always just know, like, I’m still a human. All this has happened since I won the national championship & I haven’t been happy since then.”
During Monday night’s postgame press conference, teammate Johnson extended her defense against critics who have dubbed Reese a “villain.” She shared,
“Everybody can have their opinion on Angel Reese, but ya’ll don’t know her, I know Angel Reese, I know the real Angel Reese and the person I see every day is a strong person, it’s a caring, loving person. The crown she wears is heavy, she’s the type of teammate that makes you want to believe in yourself. The leap I took from freshman to sophomore year, Angel, gave me that confidence to go be a dog.”
