It doesn’t look like we’ll see Louisiana State University forward Angel Reese or her fellow Lady Tigers at the White House this year.
The Final Four’s most outstanding player didn’t so much as waver under the mounting backlash to her throwing shade at Iowa’s Caitlin Clark during LSU’s NCAA championship victory, despite the double standard it revealed. Similarly, Reese brushed off first lady Jill Biden’s apparent apology for inviting both teams to visit the White House under the guise of “sportsmanship.”
National title winners receive invitations to the White House, which would be this year’s champs, the Louisiana State University Tigers. However, while speaking at the Colorado Capitol in Denver, the first lady suggested scrapping the long-standing tradition by inviting both title game teams on Monday.
🤣🤣🤣A JOKE. https://t.co/9SiOKQNqbj
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2023
After Reese’s all-caps, laughing-emoji response on Twitter, Biden’s press secretary quickly tried to walk back her comments.
“Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House,” Vanessa Valdivia tweeted.
The First Lady loved watching the NCAA women's basketball championship game alongside young student athletes and admires how far women have advanced in sports since the passing of Title IX.
— Vanessa Valdivia (@vvaldivia46) April 4, 2023
“I’m not gonna lie to you; I don’t accept the apology because of, you said what you said … I said what I said. And, like, you can’t go back on certain things that you say,” the LSU sophomore said in her first post-championship interview with the I Am Athlete podcast.
Reese also revealed the Lady Tigers politely declined Dr. Biden’s offer to meet with the team before Sunday night’s game. The first lady watched LSU’s 102-85 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes from the stands.
This suggestion reveals, much like Reese’s harsh, racially charged online criticism, the first lady’s unconscious bias and the racial dichotomy in sports as seen in response to Reese versus her opposite, Iowa star Caitlin Clark.
Angel Reese rejects First Lady Jill Biden’s apology: ‘We’ll go to the Obamas’
(📹 @IAMATHLETEpod) pic.twitter.com/QlLCeJjoXF
— Hot Freestyle (@HotFreestyle) April 5, 2023
“I mean, you like felt like they [Iowa] should’ve came because of sportsmanship, right? They can have that spotlight. We’ll go to the Obamas; we’ll see Michelle, we’ll see Barack,” Reese added in the podcast.
THATS THE TWEET. https://t.co/FfaWoI9fjT
— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 4, 2023
Regarding the White House’s invitation, it doesn’t appear Reese wants to meet the current president or his wife.
“We’re gonna see. I don’t know,” she said on the podcast.