Since Louisiana State University's Tigers won a title against the University of Iowa's Hawkeyes in 2023, star forward Angel Reese has been receiving plenty of praise and criticism from casual sports fans and expert analysts alike. Today (March 22), ESPN published an interview with the LSU talent, who explained why she feels misjudged.
"I want people to underestimate me," she told the publication. "I'm telling you, I have everything bookmarked for the right moment when everything just falls right into my hands."
Reese continued, "They said I was too worried about social media, my GPA was low, I was pregnant. Yeah, my stats have gone down maybe four to five points because I'm on a way better team this year. But I'm still averaging a double-double every game. I think people don't realize I can do 10,000 things and still be good at all of them. And I can't wait ‘til everything just falls right into place."
The 21-year-old also reflected on being pushed around as a freshman at Baltimore's St. Frances Academy.
"I think that's why I'm so hungry," she stated. "That's why I'm always so competitive [and] have a really competitive edge. I know where I come from, back to my high school, [and] just going into a rougher area, which is Baltimore, and having to kind of get it out the mud and having a chip on my shoulder."
It's not the first time Reese spoke about how she deals with detractors in the press. Speaking to REVOLT, she explained, "For me, you take the good with the bad. I get a lot of positives, so I understand there will be negatives, and if you’re not getting hate, you’re not doing something right. People will always have something to say and it’s normal in the world. They can’t change anything I do or my perspective of things, as I’m going to stand on what I say. That’s just how I move with things."