Angel Reese Catches Stray During Ex-NBA Star's Bill Russell Rant
The most common criticism for Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese during her first WNBA season was her struggles finishing near the rim.
This was shown by her 39.1% field goal percentage and her 44.5% field goal percentage from within five feet of the basket. For comparison, most of the WNBA's top forwards — who are Reese's peers in most regards — typically shoot anywhere between 60-67% from within five feet.
These struggles made fans assert that Reese's elite rebounding numbers were more a result of her grabbing her own rebounds after missing inside shots. Former NBA superstar Gilbert Arenas echoed this sentiment while going on a long tirade about late NBA legend and 11-time champion Bill Russell during a recent episode of the No Chill Gil Gaming podcast.
"Bill Russell was a defensive player. Who are you guarding, and who's guarding you... when he averaged 16 [points], he had 16 and 22 [rebounds]," Arenas said of Russell, per an X post from user @crashoutking1. "Then when I look at the other Black players in the league and these m*****f****** are averaging 38-37 [points] and 22 rebounds, it's like who is this guy actually then?
"Because if Wilt [Chamberlain] was averaging 32... with 22 rebounds, I can say 'Okay, he was way above'... How are you averaging 16 when the other Black players are averaging f****** 30? What are you doing?" Arenas continued.
"Then you start looking, oh, he's Angel Reese. He's out there to play defense, and if he gets an offensive rebound, pass the s*** back out. If you are by yourself, you can put it back up. But if you don't, godd***** good luck.
Arenas later said, "We see it in real life with Angel Reese. We watch [her] rebound, miss, rebound... we can see. Why don't we want to acknowledge that's what Bill Russell was then?"
“[Bill Russell] shot 42% on 2-pointers and layups. We see it in real life with Angel Reese…rebound, miss! Why don’t we want to acknowledge that’s what Bill Russell was then?” 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/Jq0OreOs9p
— E.A.🤴🏾🛸🦬 (@crashoutking1) January 3, 2025
It seems like Arenas' argument could have been made without getting Reese involved. But alas.
Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.