‘I don’t take disrespect lightly’: Reese defends gesture to Clark in NCAA final

Angel Reese has defended herself over a gesture she made towards Iowa star Caitlin Clark during LSU’s NCAA Tournament victory over the Hawkeyes.

Reese made the “You can’t see me” gesture – made famous by wrestler John Cena – towards her opponent as the Tigers closed out their 102-85 victory, which secured their first NCAA women’s basketball title.

“[Clark is a] hell of a player but I don’t take disrespect lightly,” said Reese after the game. “She disrespected [LSU’s] Alexis [Morris] and I wanted to pick her pocket. But I had a moment at the end of her game … I was in my moment”.

Former ESPN host Keith Olbermann called Reese an “idiot” for the gesture, and the LSU forward was subject to widespread abuse on social media.

However, many pointed out that Reese, who is Black, was simply repeating a gesture Clark, who is white, had made earlier in the tournament. During a game against Louisville, Clark told an opponent: “You’re down by 15 points. Shut up”. She was often praised on social media for her spirit and swagger.

Drops mic. pic.twitter.com/6xtMCfBbJc

Reese referenced the double standard when speaking to reporters after the game. “All year I was critiqued about who I was. I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto, y’all told me that all year,” she said. “When other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. This was for the people that look like me.”

How it started How it’s Going pic.twitter.com/YRNzDN1iUr

ESPN’s Holly Rowe defended both players. “People hating on Angel Reese or Caitlin Clark. Stop. Unapologetically confident young women should be celebrated NOT hated. Get used to it,” she wrote on Twitter.

Clark herself did not appear to notice Reese’s gesture during Sunday’s game.

“I want my legacy to be the impact that I can have on