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Sep 10, 2023

NCAA: LeBron James Sends Love to Angel Reese Trash

LeBron James counts himself a fan of Angel Reese and LSU's win over Iowa in the NCAA national championship.

On Sunday, the LSU Tigers outlasted Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes en route to a 102-85 victory to lift the trophy.

After the final seconds ticked off the clock, Reese, who would win the award for Most Outstanding Player of the tournament, dealt a bit of trash talk in Clark's direction.

In the games leading to the championship, Clark had become a national sensation, with back-to-back 40-point outings heading into the final. Through that run, Clark had often hit opponents with the "You can't see me" celebration after a made shot.

On Sunday, Reese turned the tables.

LeBron James was highly entertained.

As an online discourse surrounding the moment developed, James retweeted remarks from some other commentators.

While Clark's initial celebrations were widely celebrated, Reese was the subject of criticism. It was hard to miss the double-standard, as James' stretch of retweets explained.

"If you praised Caitlin Clark as competitive, fiery, and passionate for doing the "You can't See me" celebration and are criticizing Angel Reese for the same we already know!!" wrote NFL safety turned commentator Ryan Clark in a tweet promoted by James.

"If it wasn't "classless" when Caitlin Clark did it, don't call it classless when Angel Reese does it," wrote Emmanuel Acho. "Let the women compete, it's sports!!"

Reese said as much herself after the game.

"I don't fit the narrative. I don't fit in a box that y'all want me to be in," Reese said. "I'm too hood. I'm too ghetto. Y'all told me that all year."

"But when other people do it, y'all say nothing," she said. "So this was for the girls that look like me, that's going to speak up on what they believe in. It's unapologetically you. That's what I did it for tonight. It was bigger than me tonight. It was bigger than me."

As things stand, Reese and LSU hold the title belt, but with both Reese and Clark set to return next season, this could simply be the early chapters of a wild rivalry.

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