Ariel Atkins Defends Angel Reese Against Harsh Criticism

Chicago Sky star Angel Reese is fully into her second season in the WNBA, and despite the team’s best efforts, they are currently on a six-game losing streak—and as a result, critics have viciously attacked the former NCAA champion, and her teammate came to her defense.

In a post-game interview with the media on Tuesday, June 10, after losing to the New York Liberty, Ariel Atkins defended Reese, pointing out that the online hate and criticism she regularly receives has gotten out of hand.

Angel Reese Faces Criticism

“This is a 23-year-old kid and the amount of crap that she gets on day-to-day, and she still shows up,” Atkins began. “Whatever questions y’all got about our team, basketball-wise we appreciate it, but all the other nonsense, it’s irrelevant. We’re here to play basketball and do what we do. We’re having a hard time right now at the end of the day.”

“Her crown is heavy, so whatever else y’all wanna come at her for the way that she acts, she has to build a wall,” Atkins continued. “She has to have a wall. Because if she doesn’t, people will break her down. Not only because of the way that she looks, but because of the way she carries herself.”

Atkins’ defense of Reese follows recent comments about her teammate from boxer Clarissa Shields, who posted a series of messages online about being unhappy that she lost the 2025 BET Sportswoman of the Year Award to the former LSU star.

”Still don’t know how I didn’t win the Sportswoman of the Year for the @BETAwards but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other Nominees. I just thought accolades mattered,” one of Shields’ posts read on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Noting that despite their age and the constant pressure she’s under, Atkins said that Reese still “handles herself with grace.”