Angel Reese finished with another monster double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds during Saturday's game against the Golden State Valkyries. She also tallied three assists and two steals in an all-around effort.
However, Reese wasn't able to finish the game. She committed six fouls and fouled out with seven seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, as the Dream lost their fifth straight outing and fell to the Valkyries, 88-83.
One of Reese's fouls sparked controversy, though. After all, many fans believed that Valkyries forward Laeticia Amihere flopped to sell the foul.
With 2:48 remaining in the second quarter, Reese tried to post up against Amihere. As she turned around in an attempt to force her way to the basket, the Dream star appeared to elbow Amihere in the face.
Brett Davis-Imagn Images
Interestingly, a slow-motion video of the play showed that there was minimal to zero contact at all and that Amihere seemed to bend her head backwards and flail to make it look like she had been hit. The referees called an offensive foul on Reese.
"Flooopppp… they getting soo good at it too," a commenter wrote after Bleacher Report shared the slo-mo video of the incident. Another one said, "Where was the contact?"
"Everyone has to admit 2 things…. 1. THERE WAS NO FOUL ! … 2. She sold that so well," a viewer added.
A follower shared, "The faking on this one was ridiculous. I couldn’t believe this! She’s a good actress!"
"Amihere showcasing some elite acting skills," a poster stated.
While there are some who believe Reese hit Amihere, the number of fans who believe there was no contact is overwhelming.
Regardless, Reese's offensive foul stood. It remains to be seen if the WNBA will review the play and take a disciplinary action against Amihere. After all, the league has strict rules when it comes to flopping.
