LSU Tigers’ Angel Reese found herself at the receiving end of severe backlash for her John Cena celebration during the NCAA Finals. This comes in just a few days after Iowa Hawkeyes’ Caitlin Clark did the “You can’t see me” gesture during the game against Louisville. After the Tigers lifted their first-ever championship trophy on Sunday night, Reese decided to address the whole situation during their post-game media conference. However, her statement only ended up creating a rift between basketball fans on the social media platform.

Led by Alexis Morris and Angel Reese, LSU scored a total of 102 points to claim the championship title. Caitlin Clark dropped a game-high 30 points, two rebounds, and eight assists but failed to surpass the Tigers. Whereas, Reese scored 15 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.

Angel Reese has a message for the naysayers

While both Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese used the same gesture, CBS reported that the responses to the two actions were completely different. While Clark received positive reactions to her celebration, Reese was widely criticized for the same. One other difference between the two incidents was that the Tigers star forward followed her gesture by pointing to her ring finger.

Reese was subjected to backlash for reportedly using a celebratory gesture to mock her opponents when the team was minutes away from losing. Internet users termed her ‘classless’ following which Reese made a subtle indication that the criticism had nothing to do with the game but with her as an individual.

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She stated, “All year I was critiqued about who I was…I don’t fit the narrative. I don’t fit in a box that y’all want me to be in. I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. But when other people do it, y’all say nothing.”

Furthermore, she added, “So this was for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in. It’s unapologetically you. That’s what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me. Twitter is going to go on a rage every time, and I’m happy.”

Reese’s comments prompt fans to take sides

Social media users were rather skeptical about the LSU star’s statement. While half the Twitterati agreed with Reese and backed her up with supportive comments, the other half was not on board with her. One user pointed out the difference between hers and Clark’s situation, and called her “immature and vindictive.”

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Whereas, another commented, “you took it a step further and made urself look pathetic. Following around someone for 30 secs taunting while the opposition did it for 2 seconds.” Take a look at a few more of the comments.

Fans of Reese pushed back equally and dropped comments in support of the young basketball star. They applauded her for the big win and called her a ‘true competitor’.

What do you about the Reese-Clark drama? Let us know you thoughts in the comments section below!