WNBA Veteran Blasts Reporter For Personal Question About Angel Reese: 'Her Crown Is Heavy'

Ariel Atkins, an eight-year WNBA veteran, pointedly defended her teammate Angel Reese during a press conference after a reporter asked the latter a personal question.

In her defense of Angel Reese, Atkins also praised the 23-year-old for her handling of the immense public scrutiny.

On June 10, the Chicago Sky suffered another embarrassing loss to the New York Liberty, falling 85-66 and dropping to 2-6 on the year.

As reported by The Blast, despite the Sky's overall team performance, Reese had her most efficient night of the season, shooting 61 percent from the field, scoring 17 points, and grabbing 11 rebounds.

The 6'3" power forward also set another record in the WNBA, becoming the fastest player to reach 30 double-doubles in just 42 career games.

Reese's performance and recent accomplishments weren't enough to keep the conversation strictly on basketball, however, considering a reporter asked the 23-year-old how she copes with the overwhelming amount of online hate she receives, from troll accounts to media personalities, including Dave Portnoy.

After answering the reporter's question, Atkins, an Olympic Gold Medalist and WNBA champion, also chimed in to defend Reese in front of the media.

"I'm sorry, can I? Can I say something?" Atkins said. "This is a 23-year-old kid. And the amount of crap that she gets on a day to day, she still shows up. So whatever questions y'all got, about our team, basketball-wise, we appreciate it. But all the other nonsense, it's irrelevant."

Atkins acknowledged that the Sky, who've suffered several 20-plus point losses this season alone, are experiencing some challenges as a team right now. However, she doesn't believe that's a strong enough case for Reese to be inundated with hateful comments from users online.

"This is a 23-year-old kid who handles herself with grace... She knows who she is, and we ain't gonna break her down for that. So whatever other questions y'all got, I'm hoping it's just about basketball, maybe a box score question. But the kid's crown is heavy, like respect that," Atkins said.

Atkins' defense of Reese came just hours after the NCAA champion won her third consecutive Sportswoman of the Year Award at the BET Awards.

Reese, who recently became an Unrivaled champion and won the league's first-ever Defensive Player of the Year title, was nominated against other elite athletes, including A'ja Wilson, Simone Biles, Dawn Staley, and heavyweight boxer Claressa Shields.

Shields opened up about her frustration over not winning the award in a series of posts online, writing, "Still don't know how I didn't win the Sportswoman of the Year for the [BET Awards]. But [congrats] to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees. I just thought accolades mattered."

After receiving pushback, the two-time Olympic Gold Medalist insisted that she wasn't implying Reese wasn't worthy of the award. "I'm saying I thought the person with 'THE MOST' accolades [and] accomplishments would win the Award. I'm team Angel Reese!" she added.

"I have mad respect for her and all the other female athletes that excel in their sport," Shields continued. "As for my earlier comments, I am allowed to express my feelings. I was shocked I didn't win. ... It's ok to be a competitor."

During the same post-game conference where Atkins spoke up, Reese also shared her feelings on winning another Sportswoman of the Year Award, describing the moment as "great."

Despite the chaos surrounding her win, Reese said she's only focused on improving at her job.

"I just focus on basketball. I come into work every day and work. I don't complain, I don't care about anything else. I have bad days; I haven't been playing well at all."

Reese didn't end there, though. She even addressed her current performance and said she takes "accountability" for not meeting the mark. "I come in every day and try and be better than the last. I know my teammates trust me; I know they have my back," she said.

"Everything else is everything else," she added. "I'm just here to come to work every day... and be able to enjoy my job."