Angel Reese revealed why she was absent from four games at the start of the year in her final season at LSU.
Reese, arguably the best player on that squad, took time off after being benched in the second half of LSU's 109-79 win over Kent State. Before her benching, the star forward had 11 points and five rebounds and after the game, head coach Kim Mulkey chalked Reese's benching to being a "coach's decision."
On the first episode of her podcast "Unapologetically Angel," Reese explained what had happened during the Kent State game and how the loss to Colorado played a part in her decision to take time off. Reese also shared that her relationship with Mulkey helped the 22-year-old make the best decision for herself, which saw her skip a trip to the Cayman Islands for a game.
"When we played our first game against Colorado and we lost and that was fresh off our national championship game so we was the No. 1 team in the country," Reese began to co-host Maya Reese on the episode . "We lost to them and it was just a whole big uproar after saying, 'I'm not focused. We're not focused. She's only worried about magazines.' Social media blew me up in both a positive and negative light. For me, it was hard to balance both.
"Coming back to practice, the vibe was weird. The energy was weird in practice because we lost our first game, and our next wasn't for two weeks. I wasn't in a good mental space for my own team, for myself and not being able to give my best.
"After the game, I sat the second half of the Kent State game and me and Kim Mulkey kinda got into it about something. After that game, she and I had a conversation, and we talked about what's best moving forward. She said it was best for me to take some time off."
"I took time off. I didn't go to the Cayman Islands with the team. It wasn't because of everything else [reports said suspended due to GPA] or I was pregnant. Everything they could think of.
"Just knowing myself, I knew I needed a break for the team, for myself, and that was probably the hardest time of my life. I never took a break from basketball, and I didn't realize that mental health was important.
"My mom came down for Thanksgiving dinner. I watched the games and texted teammates wishing them the best. Being able to have that relationship with Kim who protected me, I always will respect that from her."
While talking about how Mulkey helped her make the decision to miss games, Reese also emphatically shot down rumors that circulated while she was away from the team. "I never had a 1.0 PGA, no fighting, and no babies. I had a lot going on, and it became contagious to other people. I didn't want that to become a cancer in the locker room."
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Reese did address the rumors surrounding her absence on X. At the time and in response to rumors her suspension was academically driven, Reese posted on social media : "Don't believe everything you read."
Throughout her absence, Reese periodically gave fans an insight into what she was going through and doing as she was away from the team. On TikTok, the star forward posted a video of herself, with the following lyrics playing in the background: "Look at me. What about me would make you think I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion I have of myself. You ain't make me, so you can't break me."
When Reese did return from her absence, Mulkey described the team as glad for her return. After being asked how long Reese had been practicing with the team after missing four games, Mulkey stated : "What difference does it make guys? A coach is entitled to play [a player] whether she practiced with the team or not.
"It doesn't matter, Angel is back, and we are happy, happy, happy." Still, Reese and Mulkey made the most of their final year together, though LSU fell to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite Eight.
After the season, Reese was selected No. 7 overall by the Chicago Sky. Since then, Reese has been on a historic tear, frequently making history with her double-double production.
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