"I've built a thicker skin" - Angel Reese breaks down facing brutal cyberbullying after taking down Caitlin Clark for NCAA crown

For years, Angel Reese has faced heavy criticism online as she progressed through her basketball career. In the midst of her sophomore season in the WNBA, Reese opened up on how she learned to deal with unpleasant comments online.

In an ESPN interview prior to the 2025 WNBA All-Star festivities, Reese recalled the point at which cyberbullying attacks against her increased significantly.

"After I won the national championship, my whole life changed," the Sky forward said in the interview. "That was the first time that I had seen negativity like that on social media."

Reese, who led the LSU Tigers to the 2023 NCAA title by defeating the Caitlin Clark-led Iowa Hawkeyes, revealed some unsavory comments that she got after the championship victory. According to Reese, these included posts from netizens who wanted to find her home address and even identify her car.

Though the two-time WNBA All-Star admitted to struggling with all the cyberbullying at first, she eventually learned to cope with it.

"It doesn't bother me as much anymore, just because I feel like I've built a thicker skin. But not everybody has a thick skin," Reese pointed out.

Just last month, Reese filed to trademark the term "mebounds" — which has been used to disparage how she supposedly rebounds her own misses — and released a merchandise collection, with part of the proceeds going to cyberbullying prevention efforts.

There are no indications that the negativity towards Reese will end anytime soon, but in the meantime, the WNBA's current rebounding leader will continue to express herself on and off the court.

"I hope you know that a lot of us admire you": Caitlin Clark's teammate praises Angel Reese at All-Star Weekend

Though Reese faces plenty of harsh comments online every day, she received a warm message of positivity during the All-Star festivities.

While at an All-Star event in Indianapolis, Reese got into a conversation with former WNBA player Theresa Plaisance and Caitlin Clark's current Indiana Fever teammate Sydney Colson. An 11-year WNBA veteran, Colson gave Reese her flowers in this conversation.

"With all of the negativity that you receive, I hope you know that a lot of us, we admire you [for] how you carry yourself and how you show up all the time," Colson told Reese. "So, keep being that."

Plaisance went on to call Reese a "bright light to this world" who represents the sport well.

Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado