Women's Fastbreak On SI

Fans Furious Over Angel Reese's WNBA All-Defensive Snub

Many of Angel Reese's fans are not happy about the rookie not receiving an WNBA All-Defensive honor.

Grant Young

Jul 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Jul 13, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) reacts during the first half of a WNBA game against the New York Liberty at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

On Sunday morning, the WNBA announced its All-Defensive teams for the 2024 regular season.

The five players who earned first-team All-Defensive honors were Connecticut Sun guard DiJonai Carrington, Las Vegas Aces superstar (and 2024 WNBA MVP) A'ja Wilson, Seattle Storm center Ezi Magbegor, New York Liberty standout Breanna Stewart, and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year Napheesa Collier.

The players who received second-team All-Defensive honors were Connecticut Sun forward Alyssa Thomas, Minnesota Lynx player Alanna Smith, Seattle Storm forward Nneka Ogwumike, New York Liberty center Jonquel Jones, and Phoenix Mercury guard Natasha Cloud.

While all ten of these elite players certainly deserved an All-Defensive distinction, many fans are upset on social media that Chicago Sky sensation Angel Reese did not receive the honor after a sensational rookie season.

One X user wrote, "I’m gonna keep it a stack. Angel Reese should’ve been AT LEAST second team. No disrespect to them, but there’s an argument to be made that she’s better defensively than every single big on the second team."

"Not having Angel up here is crazy work, who the voters and what were they watching," added another X user.

"Angel Reese deserved to be on the 2nd Team All Defense," noted a third, along with a video of rapper Drake holding back tears and saying, "It has been a long fight. It has been a long fight, and I just have to have a warrior spirit. And that's all."

Perhaps Reese will be able to use this snub as motivation to earn the honor in her second season with the Sky.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

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.

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