WNBA Champion Weighs In On Criticism Angel Reese Receives From Social Media Users

Angel Reese endures a significant amount of hate online, and her Chicago Sky teammate, Courtney Vandersloot, has seemingly had enough.

During a recent interview, the WNBA champion discussed Angel Reese's game and also praised the 23-year-old for her resilience in the face of intense public scrutiny since becoming one of the most popular names in women's basketball.

Speaking with Sportskeeda, Vandersloot, who returned to the Chicago Sky for the 2025 season, opened up about Reese and the hate she often receives from online trolls.

"I think the biggest thing with Angel is that I don't think a lot of people can relate — I definitely can't — to the weight she carries on the day-to-day and the pressure that she deals with from the outside noise and the expectations with herself and how good and great she wants to be," Vandersloot said.

"For me, I just want her to know that I always have her back. It doesn't have to be perfect. I'm always going to ride for her and let her know, 'We need you. We need you to be great. But we also don't want to put too much on you,'" she continued. "'You should be enjoying this because you get to play basketball for a living.'"

And Vandersloot isn't the only WNBA champion who has spoken highly of Reese. Reese's ROSE BC teammate from the 3x3 league, 'Unrivaled,' Chelsea Gray, also lauded Reese's ability on the hardwood in a previous interview.

"She's been putting extra time and putting extra work in. And it's showing in some of these games," Gray said about Reese, who won Unrivaled's first-ever "Defensive Player of the Year" title. "You could put a lot of work in and it still not go your way. But it's the habits that create those moments and those opportunities. So when you're put in that position, you take full advantage of it."

Gray, a three-time WNBA champion, continued, "So I think you're seeing her growth throughout the course of the season, offensively and defensively. So we've been having a front-row seat to that kind of growth, and so it has been nice to be around that."

Reese has more to be proud of as well, considering she recently set a new league record as the fastest player to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds.

The LSU alum set the record during the Sky's game against the Phoenix Mercury on May 27, where she finished the contest with 13 points, 15 rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks.

Reese accomplished the feat in just 38 games, soaring past the previous record holder, Tina Charles, who earned the honor after 44 games in 2011.

"ICON BEHAVIOR," ESPN wrote about Reese on X, while her home team said Reese caught a "first-class ticket to the 500/500 club."

Aside from her on-court accomplishments, Reese also garnered headlines following a fiery interaction with Caitlin Clark during their teams' highly anticipated season-opening matchup on May 17.

Clark committed a hard foul on Reese and was assessed a flagrant-1 after referees deemed the contact excessive. The play clearly upset Reese, who leaped from the floor and attempted to confront Clark, only to be restrained by teammates.

Following that game, the WNBA announced an investigation into claims that Indiana Fever fans directed racial slurs at Reese.

"The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms," the league wrote in a statement. "They have no place in our league or in society."

Clark agreed with the WNBA's stance, telling the press after a May 19 practice that there was "no place for [racism] in society."

"Certainly, we want every person who comes into our arena — whether player or fan — to have a great experience. I appreciate the league doing that [investigation]. I appreciate that the Fever organization has been at the forefront of that."

Subsequently, during the week of May 26, the WNBA released its findings from the investigation, stating it was unable to substantiate the claims.

The statement also read, “The WNBA is committed to fostering a safe and inclusive environment for everyone and will continue to be vigilant in enforcing our fan code of conduct.”