Angel Reese returns to LSU Tigers after four game absence

Highs and lows are inevitable when garnering success—and women’s college basketball star Angel Reese experienced a dose of hardships after skyrocketing in popularity. The LSU Tigers were the 2023 NCAA national champions, a historic first for the women’s basketball team led by Reese—who quickly became the Most Outstanding Player.

However, with praise comes negativity and unwarranted downfall plots. The 2023 college basketball season hasn’t been easy for the rising star—who missed four games for unknown reasons after LSU coach Kim Mulkey benched her in the second half of the team’s November 14 win against Kent State. Yet, all of that is now in the past as Reese returned to the court for the first time since missing the second half of that game.

According to ESPN, the college basketball standout suited up for LSU on Thursday night for the first time since November 14 as the Tigers hosted Virginia Tech in a rematch of last year’s national semifinal.

Reese’s highly anticipated return sparked even more conversations about her absence; the 21-year-old hasn’t been concerned with outside noise, but she did have one thing to say. On November 19, she tweeted, “Please don’t believe everything you read,” as rumors spread.

During recent press conferences, Coach Mulkey clarified that protecting her players is her main priority, and no further information about Reese would be made public. On November 20, after the Tigers beat Texas Southern 106-47, Mulkey stated, “You always have to deal with locker room issues. Sometimes you don’t know about it. Sometimes you want to know more than you’re entitled to know. I’m going to protect my players, always. They are more important.”

The in-season issues don’t overshadow Reese’s impact on women’s basketball. It’s no secret that she’s contributing to the increase in game viewership and overall conversation about women college athletes and even WNBA conversations.

With an eventful offseason, such as winning an ESPY award for Breakthrough Athlete, becoming a Teen Vogue cover girl, significant social media following, and a historic NIL deal with Reebok, this bump in her journey is just a minor part of the start of her impactful career.