Source: Ben Solomon / Getty

Angel Reese of the LSU Tigers celebrated her NCAA championship win unapologetically April 2. After leading the team to victory against Iowa State, the 20-year-old basketball star boasted about the win in the face of her opponent Caitlin Clark.

Reese waved her hand in front of her face, a gesture made popular by WWE pro-wrestler John Cena to mean “you can’t see me.”

Then, she pointed at her ring finger, celebrating the very spot where her precious NCAA championship ring would sit.

ANGEL REESE HIT CAITLIN CLARK WITH THE “YOU CAN’T SEE ME” pic.twitter.com/Zj3mqIzkk9

— ESPN (@espn) April 2, 2023

Critics said Reese showed no class following NCAA win

After the game, social media lit up with mixed reactions about Reese’s victory wave. Some people claimed that the competitive athlete displayed a poor example of sportsmanship.

Sports journalist Jose de Jesus Ortiz called the basketball champ “classless” while former ESPN host Keith Olbermann called her “a f*cking idiot.”

What a fucking idiot https://t.co/C8dW0tukfP

— Keith Olbermann (@KeithOlbermann) April 2, 2023

This is classless. Angel Reese is only 20, so she’s still young, but taunting Caitlin Clark like this shows a pure lack of class.
Win with class, lose with class, play with class.
Clark’s mom and dad can be proud that her daughter ignored the taunting. They raised her right. pic.twitter.com/HQyVFuyJIw

— Jose de Jesus Ortiz (@OrtizKicks) April 2, 2023

 

As backlash began to swirl across social media, Reese doubled down on her gesture during a post game interview with ESPN.

“I was waiting. Caitlin Clark is a hell of a player for sure. But I don’t take disrespect lightly,” the 6-foot-3 athlete said. “And she disrespected Alexis and my girls — South Carolina, they still my SEC girls, too. Y’all not gonna disrespect them either… I had a moment at the end of the game. I was in my bag. I was in the moment.”

“I don’t take disrespect lightly”

– Angel Reese on taunting Caitlin Clark pic.twitter.com/jnPLQ7saVX

— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) April 2, 2023

Clark showed a poor example of sportsmanship when she threw up the John Cena wave at point guard Alexis Morris following Iowa’s victory against South Carolina on Friday, according to Yahoo Sports. That wasn’t the first time she had done it either.

In fact, during a recent game with Louisville, the 21-year-old threw up the same exact gesture after she hit her sixth 3-point throw of the game.

John Cena took to social media to congratulate Caitlin Clark shortly after the big win.

Even if they could see you…they couldn’t guard you!

Congrats on the historic performance @CaitlinClark22 and to @IowaWBB on advancing to the Final Four! @MarchMadnessWBB #WFinalFour https://t.co/QvpYDTESwb

— John Cena (@JohnCena) March 28, 2023

If it wasn’t “classless” when Caitlin Clark did it, don’t call it classless when Angel Reese does it. Let the women compete, it’s sports!! pic.twitter.com/lJpS1NId68

— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) April 2, 2023

Angel Reese addressed the criticism

The topic of Reese’s wave came up again during a post game press conference. When asked why she made the gesture, the basketball pro defended her decision proudly.

“All year, I was critiqued about who I was. The narrative — I don’t fit the narrative,” Reese told reporters. “I don’t fit into the box that y’all want me to be in. ‘I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto.’ Y’all told me that all year,” she continued.

“But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me, that’s gonna speak on for what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. And that’s what I did it for tonight.”

The sophomore added, “This was bigger than me tonight. Twitter is gonna go on a rage every time. And I’m happy. I feel like I’ve helped grow women’s basketball this year.”

“I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. So this is for the girls that look like me.”

Angel Reese is unapologetically her @Reese10Angel pic.twitter.com/9cuCWwayhA

— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 2, 2023

On Sunday, LSU won their first ever women’s NCAA champion, beating Iowa State 102 – 85. Reese helped to push the team to victory delivering 15 points and 10 rebounds throughout the game.

Who is Angel Reese?

Angel Reese, a native of Maryland, is one of the most dynamic players in the country.  After spending two seasons at the University of Maryland, the unbreakable athlete was rated the top player in the transfer portal in 2022, according to LSU’s website.

Before transferring to LSU, Reese led the Terrapins to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament in 2022 with an astonishing 17.8  average and 10.6 rebounds. She became the first Maryland sophomore to average a double-double since 1975, adding 53 steals and 36 blocks during the season.

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