WNBA Defends Angel Reese After Met Gala Criticism

The WNBA is defending Angel Reese after criticism that she attended the Met Gala instead of focusing on basketball. The league’s job was made easier when the Chicago Sky and Reese won their next-day game.

The WNBA posted a video on May 7 showing Reese arriving back in Chicago, referring to her as “Chi Town Barbie.”

The Chicago Tribune reported that Reese “attended a portion of Sky practice in Deerfield on Monday morning before exiting early to hop on a private jet to New York City for the event.”

On Tuesday, though, Reese was back on the court, helping the Chicago Sky soundly defeat the New York Liberty, scoring 13 points.

Reese, in a post on her X page, wrote, “Wow! God is so good! Being able to play the game I love & live my dream in the fashion world all on my 22nd birthday is a blessing. 🥺😭🥳”

Here’s what you need to know:

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The WNBA Wrote That Angel Reese Was ‘Maximizing Her 24 Hours’

The WNBA’s video shows Reese wearing a light green dress, jacket, and sunglasses as she walks through a building.

“Maximizing her 24 hours 🤩,” the WNBA wrote. “Attended the Met Gala last night, and now the Chi-Town Barbie has arrived for the @chicagosky’s preseason game vs. the Liberty!”

In an earlier post, the WNBA shared a picture of Reese in her Met Gala gown and wrote, “Training camp in the morning, Met Gala at night, preseason game tomorrow. Just another day in the life for Angel Reese 👏”

People responded positively in the comment thread on the post. “Stunningly beautiful, gifted and crafting a new identity for the sky, defense boards! Let’s Go!!” wrote one person.

This was a reference to Reese’s own post on X on May 6, in which she wrote, “one thing about me… IMA MAXIMIZE MY 24hrs🤭” On May 7, she tweeted, “maximize them 24hrs😏”

She also received positive comments after that post. “Enjoy every minute of it. You deserve it,” replied a fan.

But others expressed concern about how the traveling and activities would affect her play. “Please rest well for the game ahead 💪🙏” wrote one person.

“Just don’t stay up all night maximizin your hours when you have your first televised wnba game tomorrow… Tired of hearing how CC debuted with 21 pts when not only could you have realistically had 21 pts but rebounds in the double digits as well… You are precious value!” wrote another person.

Other people in her comment thread told her to maximize her game or maximize studying instead.

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It’s Rare for WNBA Players to Attend the Met Gala

According to The Athletic, it’s believed that Reese was the “first WNBA rookie” who attended the Met Gala, a fashion extravaganza in New York.

WNBA players rarely go because the Met Gala occurs during their preseason games, according to The Athletic.

Reese retweeted a fan who responded to social media criticism that Reese shouldn’t have attended the Met Gala right before a game. “Delete all y’all drafts about Angel Reese that said ‘she’s gonna get cooked tonight and should’ve been in practice longer instead of the Met’,” then X user wrote. “My sis made y’all haters look silly tonight.”

Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon spoke in support of Reese leaving practice early, along with Kamilla Cardoso, who attended a docuseries premiere but also has an injury.

“There were things that were in place for them that we thought were very important for them to be part of,” Weatherspoon said to the Tribune. “That’s something they earned and that’s never something we’d ever take away.”

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