The LSU Tigers, ranked seventh, began their defense of the national championship without star player Angel Reese. Coach Kim Mulkey’s lack of explanation for Reese’s absence, coupled with negative comments by some players’ parents on social media, has brought unwanted attention to the team. This drama started after the team’s unexpected season-opening defeat. LSU appeared to be the archetypal super team in this new era of lax regulations surrounding player endorsement earnings and transfers.

Reese’s return to the team for a home game against Texas Southern on Monday was disappointing. Angel Reese recently received a message about her recent acts from notable sports guru Stephen A. Smith. Reese’s coach, Kim Mulkey, benched her in previous games, and she then missed a couple of games due to absenteeism. Although Mulkey has not revealed the specific cause of Angel’s absence from the scene, Smith has his own theories. All of the remarks were hushed by the head coach’s recent news appearance.

Kim Mulkey shattered the assumptions

Mulkey’s brief comments about Reese’s absence and the team’s inability to conduct postgame interviews have contributed to the ongoing uncertainty surrounding Reese’s status on the LSU basketball team. On The Stephen A. Smith Show, Smith suggested that Reese’s growing fame might be affecting her behavior.

As a successful college basketball player, Reese has received numerous brand endorsement offers and has a significant fan following, which has elevated her to celebrity status. Smith cautioned Reese about the potential consequences of her actions and the potential repercussions if she continues to behave in this manner.

To silence the assumptions of Stephen A. Smith, Kim Mulkey gave a press statement: “Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players. Always. If you do some disciplining of your own children, do you think we’re entitled to know that?”

This was a commendable retort to what has become the age-old debacle of journalists trying to circumvent privacy to get to the bottom of a potential headline. That being said intrusions of player privacy are somewhat being sparked from within the camp.  

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What’s going on between Angel Reese and Kim Mulkey?

The LSU women’s basketball team, led by coach Kim Mulkey, has had a rocky start to their national title defense owing to unwelcome attention and suspicions surrounding top player Angel Reese’s inexplicable absence. The unanticipated circumstances surrounding Reese’s absent status coincided with critical statements made on social media by the parents of other players and after a surprising first-round loss for the highly regarded club.

Angel Reese was benched in the second half of the Tigers’ game against Kent State due to a “coach’s decision.” and she couldn’t be seen playing any games after that. During the post-game interview, head coach Kim Mulkey responded to queries about the selection. “I could, but I won’t,” Mulkey said. “It was just a coach’s decision.”

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