Knowing Angel Reese, you’d know she’s all about that relentless energy, whether it is in the paint or pushing her teammates. Another place she doesn’t give up is when talking to the referees. Over the last two years, Reese may have given the officiating crew the same feisty self that she learned from Kim Mulkey at LSU. But year three is different.

Not in the way she puts up boards or finishes in style to mark her 1000th WNBA point. But in the way she gives out that energy. The difference was certainly visible to those who watched her get her third foul in the 91-75 win over the Connecticut Sun.

With just over a minute left in the first quarter, and the Dream leading 23-20, Nell Angloma was trying to dribble the ball up the court. The Dream forward reached in, attracting her third foul in the process. Immediately furious, she shouted, “No!,” as she looked at the referees. But before things could escalate, there was a sudden switch.

She simply walked to their bench, sat down, and visibly tried to calm herself down, inhaling and exhaling deeply with her eyes closed and head down.

Angloma, meanwhile, made two free throws as Rhyne Howard entered the game for Reese. However, the forward entered the game later and finished without getting any more fouls to her name. In fact, with her double-double, she was a huge help for her team.

“She’s amazing. Even when things aren’t going her way, she remains positive throughout the game. In the first half, she was in a little bit of foul trouble, but she stayed positive and stayed locked into the game,” Allisha Gray said on Reese. “When she came back in, she made some big baskets for us. She’s a great teammate, a positive and fun person to be around, and a great individual. She’s just that energetic bunny.”

Reese has been central to the Atlanta Dream’s 6-2 run. However, this incident revived the referee conversation around the forward. The fans immediately pointed towards the referees calling fouls differently for Reese, leading to frustration while seeing the funny part of the incident as well. 

Angel Reese’s Early Foul Trouble Fuels Fan Outrage Over Referees’ Calls

“The Refs are tougher on Angel than anyone else, they allow fouls against her with almost no whistles & she’s given fouls for breathing,” wrote one. That’s the pressure that comes with privilege and Reese is no stranger to that. The refs know that she attracts many guards and, being the pillar inside the paint, the whistles automatically come with the role.

“Refs are never fair to her😢,” commented another. The WNBA has changed drastically with regard to officiating. They are focusing on the freedom of movement. Softer fouls are being called. And this is something Reese herself has called out before. 

But the question is about the disparity, as fans argue the same kind of fouls aren’t called when they happen on Reese. She is in the top 20 when it comes to fouls per game with 3.3, but it’s down from 3.4 last year. On the other side, she draws 4.3 fouls per game, which is down from 4.7 last year.

So, while the average number of fouls called is going up, the trend is opposite for Reese. So, the narrative has some credibility, but the sample size is too small to say it definitively. 

“Refs in all sports are lucky that a lot of fans don’t want to catch a case because they need their asses beat for messing with the games,” wrote another fan.

The anti-referee sentiment is not uncommon in the WNBA. The fire got more air since 2024 when this draft class stepped into the WNBA and almost suddenly, everyone realized that the physicality in the league is too much. Techs, injuries, and flagrant fouls piled up and the fans couldn’t help but put the blame on the refs for not doing their jobs properly. However, the players and coaches who have complained admit that their job is pretty difficult.

But the point here is accountability. The players get fined for criticizing the referees, but the referees have little drawback for their mistakes. But in the case of Reese, she could not change the reality. So, she did what she could do, locked in. 

“Sometimes you gotta reset and calm yourself down,” a fan wrote. “Her attitude and energy was incredible this game 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥,” pitched in another. Angel Reese has visibly controlled her anger towards the referees this season.

Last year, she called them out multiple times and had heated conversations on the court. She had 8 technical fouls last year and led the league. Even this year, she already has three. 

But including this moment, Reese has been seen making some changes. In the last game against the Fire, Reese was about to go all in against the referees, but stopped herself in the last moment.

Her performance could be affected if she gets caught up in trivial decisions. The same fire that once got Reese into trouble is still there. The difference now is that she is learning when to use it and when winning requires walking away.