Angel Reese has rarely been far from the center of basketball debate, but while discussions around her in the WNBA can often take a critical turn, the FIBA Women’s World Cup had a much different message for viewers. This has caught the eye of one veteran ESPN host.
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Veteran announcer Cindy Brunson seems to have taken note of the official FIBA X account’s approach to showcasing Reese’s talents, and following a recent highlight posted by them, Brunson praised their ability to handle the conversation around one of basketball’s most talented figures.
“The #FIBAWWC admin understands the WHOLE assignment & could teach the W group a thing or two,” Brunson wrote on X, quoting the FIBA post.
Brunson was replying to a FIBA post, which showcased a highlight from Team USA’s game against Hungary and featured Reese making key plays. First, she screened for Caitlin Clark, who was setting the offense, and shot a three off the Reese screen. Though Clark’s shot missed, Reese quickly rebounded it as she was falling out of bounds and flung it to her Atlanta Dream teammate, Rhyne Howard, for an easy, open three.
“We do not allow Angel Reese slander in this space 🙅🏾♀️ #FIBAWWC,” the caption to the post read, already checking and making sure from the outset that the sentiment surrounding Reese was positive.
The timing of the post also matters. Reese, who made her senior World Cup debut in this tournament, has shown that her value extends beyond the rebounding that has made her a household name. Currently, she comes off the bench to average six rebounds a game, the second-highest mark on the team behind Breanna Stewart, who averages seven. However, she has also made strides to improve her scoring.
Reese averages the fifth-most points on the team at 8.8, but what stands out is her efficiency. She leads the entire tournament in FG% at 63.2%, about 1.5 percentage points higher than the second-place holder, Australian Steph Talbot.
Reese is also one of only two players on the roster averaging 1+ blocks and steals, alongside Paige Bueckers. Currently, Reese sits at 1.5 steals per game and 1 block per game.
Head coach Kara Lawson even praised Reese’s defense after Team USA’s narrow 55-52 win over Italy, a night when she was harshly critical of the effort displayed by the rest of the team.
“She comes into the game, and she plays with great energy,” Lawson said in the post-game press conference. “And she competes, she scores, she rebounds, she plays with great pace. It’s what you want in a player, in a young player, to come in and do that. And so that’s what I appreciate more about her. She finds a way to make an impact.”
Apart from her statistical impact, Reese has also stood out on the court for her leadership and chemistry with players whom she regularly stars against in the WNBA. One such sequence, involving Clark, stood out in their most recent game against Hungary. As the third quarter wound down, Clark hit Reese, who rushed to the middle of the paint, with a dart, and the forward finished through the contact.
The weight of that partnership isn’t lost on Reese, who spoke about teaming up with people she usually plays against and how that has made it easier to play with Clark, for example.
“We’ve played against each other so many times,” Reese said after the game. “So I’m sure we know each other’s game — like the back of each other’s hand. So I just easily dished it off to her. She dished it off to me. She knows my slides. I kind of got one to her today, or maybe two. So it’s fun… We just continue to build chemistry because we know we’re going to be USA teammates for a while.”
For Reese, it’s clear that this tournament is about letting her game do the talking and putting the play on the court before anything else.
The FIBA account’s message has been bold, and with Team USA continuing their undefeated World Cup campaign, Brunson’s reaction shows that Reese might have finally found people willing to make sure that she’s perceived differently.