“She invited some of the scrutiny but….” Stephen A. Smith reacts to Angel Reese facing racist and sexist attacks

Angel Reese recently opened up about being the subject of unwanted attacks on her character since the NCAA Finals last year.

“She invited some of the scrutiny but….” Stephen A. Smith reacts to Angel Reese facing racist and sexist attacks

Stephen A. Smith and Angel Reese

Since coming to the limelight for taunting Caitlin Clark after last year’s NCAA Championship, LSU star Angel Reese claimed to have faced racist and sexist attacks. After losing in the Elite Eight round this year, she poured her heart out while talking about the scrutiny she faced.

Ever since, it has been a topic of discussion on all sports outlets, leading to Stephen A. Smith chiming in with his two cents. The ESPN analyst was a guest on CNN’s talk show King Charles to talk about basketball and its impact.

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First of all, understand she's been through a lot, since she won the National Championship last year. She pointed out that her life has been miserable. She was somebody that was very braggadocios to some degree. Again, she invited some of the scrutiny, no doubt. But she didn't invite it to the degree that she received it.
Stephen A. Smith said

Smith did talk about how most of the extreme attacks on Reese have come from sections of the crowd who want to bring her down. However, it is commendable that she has been able to maintain her focus and continue to play well.

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Angel Reese revealed after the game against Iowa that she received a lot of hate over the past year. She cried the entire time she talked about the scrutiny she had to face. However, many analysts have suggested that it is her own doing.

After all, she ended up taunting the favorite poster child of the country while handing down a humiliating loss. That instantly made her the target of all those public reactions. She even had to clarify to the media that she does not hate Caitlin Clark.

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark to meet next in the WNBA

Caitlin Clark had already declared that she would be moving on to the WNBA next season. After the Elite Eight game, Angel Reese also announced that she would be declaring for the WNBA Draft. As per current mock drafts, Clark will be selected by the Indiana Fever. Whereas Reese is expected to be drafted by the Minnesota Lynx.

If the mock drafts play out as expected, their first game against each other will be in late August. With already 12.3 million viewers for their Elite Eight game, the WNBA is poised to have a windfall in terms of viewership with these two on the court.

But as Stephen A. Smith said, it is not wrong to be the villain, but one has to be able to take the backlash that comes with it. If Angel Reese continues to portray her collegiate role in the WNBA, she will have to take the scrutiny and the attacks on the chin.

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