LSU basketball star Angel Reese was put on the bench for the second half of the team’s game against Kent State Tuesday, and rumors have been swirling ever since.
They intensified when Reese didn’t play in another game against Southeastern. This weekend, one rumor in particular is gaining traction – that Reese’s GPA kept her from playing more.
It stems from social media posts from mothers of players on the LSU’s Tigers women’s basketball team. Last year, Reese, her teammates and coach Kim Mulkey scored LSU’s first ever national championship victory.
According to Yahoo Sports, Reese’s mother Angel Webb Reese “posted a weirdly pointed message about grammar,” on her Instagram story. It said the message was meant for Kia Brooks, mother of LSU sophomore Flau’jae Johnson.
Brooks then “appeared to respond with a lengthy IG story of her own that, among other things, claimed Reese had a ‘2.0 or less GPA,’ accused the elder Reese of being ‘petty, fake and hateful’ and urged her to take responsibility for her and her daughter's actions,” said Yahoo Sports.
When asked about the decision to bench Reese after the Kent State game, Mulkey said: “It was just a coach’s decision,” and also said it was simply based on lineup rotations.
Before she was benched, Reese scored 11 points, and she also managed five rebounds. LSU won the game, and the other game Reese didn’t play in. She supported her teammates with a shared X post about the win.
When the season opened with a losing game to Colorado, Reese – who quickly rose to national stardom last season – bore the brunt of the criticism, WWL Radio reported. She has previously talked about the pressure associated with her increasing fame. Reese also mentioned having “the weight” of the world on her shoulders in a social media post this weekend.
“Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope to see her sooner than later,” Mulkey said Friday, according to ESPN.