Angel Reese has finally opened up about her two-week absence from LSU last November, which led to widespread speculation during her final season.
On the debut episode of her Unapologetically Angel podcast, the Chicago Sky rookie revealed that her break from the team was for her mental health, not due to the rumors surrounding academic or behavioral issues.
Reese‘s mysterious absence followed her benching during the second half of a game against Kent State. She explained that after LSU’s first loss to Colorado, the energy in practice felt off, and she wasn’t in the right headspace.
After discussing it with LSU head coach Kim Mulkey, they agreed it was best for her to take some time off to avoid negatively impacting the team.
“Coming back to practice, the vibes was kind of weird,” she said. “Obviously, the energy was pretty weird in practice because everyone was like ‘we just lost our first game, we don’t know what to do’ and then our next game wasn’t for another two weeks.
“I didn’t feel like it was in a good mental space for my own team and myself and just being able to give my best self… Me and Kim Mulkey kind of got into about something [in the Kent State game], which is normal, and I respectfully sat the second half.
“Then after that game me and her had a conversation and we talked about what’s moving forward and it was just best for me to take some time off.
“I didn’t go to the Cayman Islands with the team [to play in the Cayman Islands Classic] and it wasn’t because of everything else. It was me and coach Mulkey being able to have that kind of relationship.”
Rumors about LSU absence
Rumors quickly swirled about the reasons behind her absence, with some speculating it was due to a low GPA or even pregnancy.
Reese dismissed those claims on her podcast: “People were saying I was suspended, wasn’t playing because of my GPA, I was pregnant, all these crazy things. Everything they could think of and they didn’t even know what was going on.”
During her break, Reese missed LSU’s trip to the Cayman Islands Classic and instead spent Thanksgiving with her family, which she said was a much-needed reset.
“I never had no 1.1 GPA,” Reese went on. “No kids… I had a lot going on and it became contagious to other people. I felt like I was moody and I wasn’t in a good place within myself and I didn’t want it to become a cancer in the locker room.
“I didn’t have a break that summer. I was doing photo shoots. I was in the gym. I was doing everything.
“I went to USA Basketball. I had no time to do anything else. It was a time that was hard for me but it was a time I needed for myself.”
Reese also expressed gratitude toward Coach Mulkey for not fueling the rumors and protecting her during a difficult time.
“That was probably the hardest time in my life just because I never took a break from basketball and I didn’t realize mental health was important and I didn’t really realize that,” Reese explained.
“While [the team] went to the Cayman Islands, my mom came down for Thanksgiving dinner and it was just a reset.
“Got back with the team, practiced with the team. They missed me, they texted me the whole time. When I came back I felt like myself again. And just being able to have that relationship with my coach, Kim that’s something I really love.
Reese went on to mention her relationship with former LSU teammate Flau’jae Johnson, acknowledging that they aren’t as close as they used to be but still support one another.
“I still support Flau’jae. We aren’t as close as we used to be,” Reese said. “And there’s no hard feelings or anything, but we aren’t as close as we used to be.”
