Angel Reese is no stranger to making headlines, but over the past few days she has been at the center of a disheartening situation.
During the Atlanta Dream's 111-92 win over the Toronto Tempo on Friday, Reese got tangled up with Toronto’s Nyara Sabally. The play resulted in the Toronto forward going down with an injury, but the officials called the foul on her. In response to the call, Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello called Reese a "protected species."
The comments led to plenty of criticism directed at Brondello, and also saw the WNBA suspend her for a game. While Reese had tweeted at her following the game, she had yet to speak to the media about it.
On Sunday, Reese addressed the comments for what she said will be the only time.
"I'm sure everyone knows about the situation that happened last game, I'm going to address this one time," Reese said. "First, I appreciate Sandy's apology, but I also appreciate the love and support that I've had for the last 48 hours. It has been very overwhelming with a lot of love and also other things.
"I am grateful that the league did take action on the situation that happened. There's no place for discrimination or hate in this league, from fans to coaches to players. I'm just grateful we are able to move on from the situation."
Brett Davis-Imagn Images via Reuters Connect
Brondello released a thread of tweets on Saturday, not only apologizing to Reese, but to the black community as a whole.
Reese and the Dream will play against the Chicago Sky on Sunday, while the Tempo will play against the Los Angeles Sparks on Monday without their head coach.
