BREAKING: Angel Reese Claps Back At Haters With Powerful Message

Angel Reese (Photo via @natfluential/X)
Chicago Sky star Angel Reese had a powerful message for her haters after being named the BET Sportswoman of the Year for the third straight year.

On Monday, Angel Reese won her third consecutive BET Sportswoman of the Year award, presented annually by Black Entertainment Television. Reese won the honors over Claressa Shields, Dawn Staley, Simone Biles, Sha’Carri Richardson, Coco Gauff, A’ja Wilson, Juju Watkins and Flau’jae Johnson.

If you did a quick search on X/Twitter, you certainly came across plenty of critics who were confused or furious over Reese winning the award. Such is life when you’re one of the most polarizing athletes in the country.

Reese spoke to reporters after Chicago’s 85-66 road loss to the New York Liberty on Tuesday night. Asked about her third straight BET Sportswoman of the Year award, an emotional Reese delivered a powerful message for the haters:

“I come into work every day and work. I don’t complain. I don’t care about anything else. I have bad days. I haven’t been playing well at all, and I can sit here and just mope around and point the finger, but it’s been me. And I take accountability. I come in every day and try to be better than the next, and and better than the last, and I know my teammates trust me.

“I’m just here just to come to work every day and go home. That’s all I want to do: Is just come to work, and being able to enjoy my job that I love people would die and kill to have this job, and being able to play with the best players in the world means a lot to me. I put my all in this sh*t. I do.”

Angel Reese’s rivalry with Caitlin Clark has made her by far the most polarizing player in the WNBA, a role she has embraced since turning pro last year. Reese has been vocal about her belief that people are watching women’s basketball because of her and not just the Indiana Fever star.

Reese briefly set the WNBA single-season record for rebounds (446) last year before suffering a season-ending wrist injury. The aforementioned A’ja Wilson wound up breaking the record with

Angel Reese & Chicago Look To Bust Out Of Early-Season Slump

Angel Reese (Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images)
After losing their first four games of 2025, the Sky bounced back with a mini two-game winning streak. But Chicago is four games below .500 again following consecutive losses to Indiana and New York.

Reese is doing her part to keep the Sky competitive, averaging double-digit points and rebounds (10.1 and 12.1, respectively). We’ll see if Chicago can get back on a winning track when they visit the Atlanta Dream on Friday.

Houston Texans star Azeez Al-Shaair has admitted regrets over his illegal hit to Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and the ensuing brawl between the teams in a lengthy statement on social media.  

Al-Shaair’s statement comes as his three-game suspension as a result of the incident has ended and he is slated to return to the field for the Texans on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

On December 1, an Al-Shaair hit to the head of a sliding and defenseless Lawrence caused chaos in Jacksonville. The defensive back needed to be restrained by several coaches and Lawrence has not played since taking the barbaric contact.

‘While so many jumped at the first opportunity to hop on the false narrative – that l’m a dirty player or bad person – the messages from all who stood by me were the only things keeping me mentally afloat during a time of isolation,’ Al-Shaair said on social media.

‘I’ve learned so much from this entire experience. Seeing myself on video – letting my emotions get the best of me to the point where I completely lost it – was an embarrassing and eye-opening moment for me.’

‘I’ve had to earn everything in my life. I never want to allow anyone to get me to a point where I jeopardize everything that I’ve worked all my life to obtain. That was not the way I want to represent myself or my family and I will continue to learn and grow from that moment.’

The Texans defensive back was suspended for three games as a result of the hit to Lawrence

Al-Shaair said during his three-game ban, he met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives for the first time, taking issue with how he was characterized in the official announcement of his suspension.

The defender said he thought his character and integrity were ‘unjustifiably smeared’ in the release but the meeting with Goodell and others was ‘productive’ and gave him hope it would not happen again.

‘In that conversation – man-to-man – I owned and acknowledged that my actions following my ejection were careless and, in that moment, I didn’t think about the responsibility I have been blessed with to represent the shield,’ Al-Shaair continued.

‘I also stated that the letter, and specifically the language used in the letter, was equally as careless and conveyed that the context of the words used were not a reflection of my character, nor my career, as I have not been warned multiple times for my play on the field.’

Al-Shaair’s hit on Lawrence was not the only controversial incident he was involved in this season.

During the Texans’ game against the Bears in September, he punched Roschon Johnson, who wasn’t even in the game at the time of another sideline confrontation.

Al-Shaair ended his statement by saying his view is that everyone in the league office and on the field are on the same team to represent the NFL in the best nature possible, something he failed to do earlier this month.

‘Lastly, I’ll say that this world is full of negative people who can’t wait to tear you down, but if you move with love and compassion, the seeds of good you planted in others’ lives can grow into the very tree that shades you with comfort and compassion when you need it most,’ Al-Shaair concluded.

‘I am a man of God, I am a leader, a warrior and a lover. I am also a hell of a football player and I’m grateful to be back doing what I love.’