LSU star Angel Reese discusses traumatizing effects of being national champion: “Death threats, I’ve been sexualized”

Angel Reese’s bold declaration before the LSU vs Iowa game in the NCAA Final Eight raised some eyebrows. The self-proclaimed villain’s attempted mind games since have backfired with Iowa clinching a Final Four spot beating Reese’s team.

Following the game, the 21-year-old opened up about a different side which was unknown to many. The generally brash attitude of Angel Reese was overthrown by her emotions and she let the world know about the exact person behind the spotlight in a post-match interview.

Angel Reese talks on struggles of being national champion

After winning the national championship one hopes for a glittering career, but that was not the case with Angel Reese. The LSU forward has opened up about the traumatizing death threats she has received alongside brutal criticisms following the title win.

Coming off a 94-87 loss to Iowa in the NCAA tournament, Reese broke down talking about her struggles in a post-game press conference. While her teammates and family have stood up for her, the 21-year-old said she only ignored everything and stayed strong. Speaking about the disturbing experiences she encountered, the SEC Player of the Year 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.”

The vocal LSU star has her way of taunting opponents which harmed her image and portrayed her as a villain. Blaming everything on her rising popularity after the championship win, Reese said, “I haven’t had peace since then. And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change.” Despite going through such terrible circumstances, Reese has never let it affect her performance on the court.

Angel Reese LSU career stats

Angel Reese joined Louisiana State University (LSU) in 2022 keeping her faith in HC Kim Mulkey. On her Debut game, the forward showed her potential, scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds securing a dominating victory over Bellarmine.

At the beginning of the 2023 year, Reese set the new rebounding record of LSU in a game by grabbing 28 of them against Texas A&M. Over the course of time, the budding star broke the straight double-doubles record and finished the season with 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game while shooting at 52.5% from the field along with the NCAA championship title.

Reese gradually became an integral part of the team and earned the NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player title.

While her stat line has dipped from last season to 18.6 points and 13.4 rebounds per game, the Tigers’ forward will surely step up for her team when needed next season as her WNBA draft prospect remains unknown.