Angel Reese is unsure if she will join her LSU teammates at the White House after defeating Iowa in the national championship game.
Reese already called it a “joke” — with several laughing emoji — when Dr. Jill Biden suggested that Iowa should also be invited to meet the president, and she expanded on her thoughts on I Am Athlete’s “Paper Route” when she was asked by former NFL wideout Brandon Marshall about whether she’d attend the White House visit.
“We’re gonna see,” Reese answered. “I don’t know.”
The 20-year-old sophomore drew plenty of attention for taunting Iowa star Caitlin Clark in the final, flashing John Cena’s “You can’t see me” hand gesture at her — after Clark had done the same against Louisville players earlier in the tournament.
Reese was asked how it felt when she saw the first lady invited Iowa to the White House, when that is traditionally only the case for victors, not runners-up.
“If we were to lose, we would not be getting invited to the White House,” Reese said. “Remember she made a comment about how both teams should be invited because of sportsmanship. I’m like, ‘Are you saying that because of what I did?’
“Stuff like that bothers me because you are a woman at the end of the day, white, black, Mexican, it doesn’t matter. You’re supposed to be standing behind us before anything.”
LSU defeated Iowa 102-85 on Sunday to win the national title, with the first lady in attendance.
After receiving ridicule from Reese and others about inviting Iowa, Biden walked back the remarks through a statement from her press secretary, Vanessa Valdivia.
“It’s hard to see stuff like that and not comment back on it, but at the same time I have the platform right now where I can speak out on it and a lot of people have had my back on it,” Reese added.
“I’m proud to be in this situation, and nobody’s giving her grace right now. Trust me, that’s why she’s trying to back-track on what she said.”
Reese continued to say that “if the roles were reversed it wouldn’t be the same” and pointed out that last night’s men’s loser, San Diego State, did not receive an invitation to the White House from the first lady.
Iowa star Caitlin Clark, the recipient of Reese’s infamous hands gesture, wasn’t exactly jumping for joy with the invitation either.
“I think LSU should enjoy that moment for them, and congratulations obviously,” Clark told ESPN on Tuesday. “They deserve to go there. Maybe I could go to the White House on different terms. That’s for LSU.
“That’s a pretty cool moment and they should enjoy every second of being a champion.”