Criticism is part and parcel of the game we love. When players don’t meet expectations, fans often head straight to social media to vent out their frustrations. But sometimes, that criticism crosses the line. And if there’s anyone who knows what that feels like, it’s Angel Reese. The Chicago Sky superstar is one of those names who can never escape fan hatred. No matter what she does on the court, social media always finds something to criticize. But luckily for her, some people always have her back.

This season, Reese found herself caught in the middle of the viral “Mebounds” drama, a word coined by “Bishop B Hen” Hendricks of the Club 520 podcast that has gone viral. The phrase is used to mock the Chi Town Barbie for the number of offensive rebounds she collects off her own missed shots. According to Grok AI, as of May 28, 2025, roughly 35% of her offensive rebounds in 2024 came from her own shots. That comes around 53 out of 150. So that’s where the criticism came from.

But Reese had support. “We are here to play basketball and do what we do, so we are having a hard time at the end of the day. This is a 23-year-old kid [points at Reese] who handles herself with grace. Her crown is heavy,” said Ariel Atkins, speaking on how Reese faces more online hate than any other player on the Sky roster. Atkins’ comments were duly supported by Cardi B as well, who showed her love for Reese by re-sharing that clip with a caption “❤️🥺.”

And now, Reese is returning the love. Cardi B recently announced that her upcoming album, “Am I the Drama,” is set to drop on September 19. The preorder link is already available in her social media bio. Naturally, Reese wasted no time showing her excitement, replying to the post with, “thank yaaaaa! can’t waitttt.”

Everyone knows Angel Reese brings just as much energy off the court as she does on it. She recently turned heads at the Met Gala, rocking a stunning Thom Browne dress. And her ties to the hip-hop world haven’t gone unnoticed. Remember when she surprised Megan Thee Stallion during her Lollapalooza set last year? So yeah, seeing Cardi B step in to support Reese wasn’t exactly a shock.

But Cardi B’s friendship with Reese can be traced back to 2023. The Bayou Barbie was seen appearing in the music video of Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again”, which also featured Cardi B. And it was a BFF-at-first-sight kinda thing, as the pair have remained close ever since. So it wasn’t surprising to see both Cardi B and Reese having each other’s backs.

Cardi B’s support might very well have been the spark Angel Reese needed. Because just 3 days later, Reese made a move that stunned everyone and won her massive praise. What am I talking about? Her move to trademark the word ‘mebounds’, of course!

Angel Reese launches official ‘Mebounds’ apparel

“Whoever came up with the ‘mebounds’ thing, y’all ate that up. Because mebounds, crebounds, keybounds, tebounds… anything that comes off the board, it’s mine. Whoever came up with that, the trolling, I love when y’all do it, because the ideas be good,” Reese said on June 14, confirming her intentions to trademark the word.

If you go check her website now, you’ll see a new ‘Mebound’ apparel line. Absolute genius! Instead of using her platform to shut down the trolls, the Bayou Barbie took the smarter route! She embraced the joke and found ways to grow her brand through this. Can totally see her becoming a full-time businesswoman once she hangs up her boots.

While this season has not gone as planned, Reese has still managed to rack up some solid numbers. She averages 10.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season, but couldn’t help the Sky post a better record than 3-10. So naturally, the fan hatred for her is at an all-time high, but she hasn’t let it get to her one bit!