Angel Reese opens up about cyberbullying from fans after 2023 national championship game

Chicago Sky All-Star Angel Reese opened up about some of the cyberbullying she’s experienced since she played for the 2023 LSU Tigers women’s basketball national championship team.

Reese said in an interview with ESPN that she’s since started a campaign to raise awareness about cyberbullying since then.

"I’ve experienced it. It was hard for me in the beginning," Reese told ESPN’s Elle Duncan.

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"After I won the national championship, my whole life changed, and 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. And that’s why I think players always come up to me and ask me, ‘Are you OK? How are you doing?’ I don’t really know what’s genuine, but I’m starting to open up and branch a little bit."

Reese's 2023 national championship game was highlighted by her incident with Caitlin Clark. It started the on-court rivalry between the two women's basketball stars.

Reese said she’s gotten closer to the All-Stars on her team this year, more so than in 2024 when it was the WNBA team going up against the U.S. Olympic team before the Paris Games.

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"This is the closest I’ve been to these players this year. Last year, I wasn’t that close. When I was in Phoenix (the host of the 2024 All-Star Game), I was very quiet," she explained. "I didn’t talk to anybody. And 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. There’s a lot of cyberbullying going on. Not everybody is as strong as I am, and I was like, ‘Why not flip a negative into a positive and give back?’ I try to give back as much as I can."

Reese will play in her second WNBA All-Star Game. She’s averaging 14 points and 12.6 rebounds for the Sky.

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