‘I’d rather pay the fine’, Angel Reese explains why she avoids WNBA media sessions

Chicago Sky forward, Angel Reese, has said she would rather pay WNBA fines than attend mandatory media sessions, citing fears that her words are often misrepresented or taken out of context.
The 22-year-old made the revelation on her podcast, Unapologetically Angel which was shared on X on Thursday, where she discussed her growing discomfort with press interactions.The controversy traces back to an interview with the Chicago Tribune, in which Reese questioned whether her team had the right players to contend for a championship. Her comments drew backlash, prompting her to clarify that her words had been “taken out of context.”

Since then, the 2023 WNBA Rookie of the Year runner-up said she has chosen to limit her media engagements to protect her peace.She said, ” Even before the game, like I’m terrified of what the media is about to ask. Like it could be the nicest question, but it’s going to get flipped or put into a different light or a different perspective. And it’s like, are you here intentionally to start mess or are you intentionally here to ask the question? And it’s really tough for me, especially in the media.It’s like, I don’t want to do an interview with anybody.Reese added that while she enjoys speaking with a few trusted journalists, her experience has made her cautious.

“Like I get excited for certain people like a Taylor, like certain, certain people I know I can talk to, but like certain I I’ll take the fine. Like I literally would take the, I’d rather take the fine.“Seriously. I’d rather take the fine sometimes rather than talking to the media because it always gets flipped. And I think that’s where media has gotten these days. She further criticised how athletes’ comments are often sensationalised online.

“Like you could literally post the sky was blue and angel said that is too dark. That’s like stuff like that, you know? So I think it just, for me, like the media is like really scary, like that’s why I’ve never been on anybody else’s podcast. I’m scared to do stuff like that because I know how things could get flipped. Yeah.”“I’d rather take the fine than face the media because it always gets flipped,” Reese said.