A report claiming Angel Reese fought an unnamed teammate while with the LSU Tigers has surfaced ahead of her highly anticipated rematch with Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever.
The rookie is one of the most popular athletes in the United States and will go down as an all-time great for the Lady Tigers, having led them to a national title last year. However, a Washington Post article (H/T USA Today) revealed that Reese fought a teammate in front of visiting recruits, and LSU head coach Kim Mulkey covered it up.
According to reporter Kent Babb, one of his sources witnessed the altercation, and it led to a meeting in which players were not allowed to have their cell phones.
“This [meeting] was after a fight involving Angel Reese, witnessed by one of my sources, that occurred in front of visiting recruits,” Babb noted, although he never published an article on Mulkey as intended after she threatened legal action.
“One of these individuals present in the team meeting shared that Mulkey said: ‘This entire locker room is trash.’”
What Washington Post planned to write about LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, but didn’t https://t.co/4Af5JRELOm
The Report Of Angel Reese’s Fight At LSU Remains Unconfirmed
Other publications have been unable to confirm a fight or a meeting, but the Post has said it “stands by Kent Babb and his reporting.”
The incident and the meeting it prompted are believed to have occurred in 2022, before Angel Reese rose to popularity by beating Iowa in the national championship game in 2023.
Reese has since moved up to the WNBA while Mulkey remains LSU head coach and still has players on her roster who won the title last year.
We expect more on this in the coming days, but Reese and LSU have so far declined to comment.
What Washington Post planned to write about LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey, but didn’t
The Washington Post’s lengthy profile on LSU women’s basketball coach Kim Mulkey drew a national spotlight in March after she preemptively addressed the then not-yet-published piece in a fiery press conference.
Mulkey, who was preparing LSU for a second-round NCAA Tournament matchup against Middle Tennessee the following day, led her press conference March 23 with a rare opening statement, calling the story by reporter Kent Babb (whom she did not name) a “hit piece” and saying she had lawyered up, threatening to sue the national publication “if they publish a false story about me.”
The Washington Post’s story published a week later, while LSU was gearing up for a Sweet Sixteen game against UCLA in Albany, New York. Mulkey said at that time that she had not read the story, but that she would have her attorneys do so.
What had Mulkey talking about The Washington Post’s story before it published? And what was The Post seeking to report?
The Daily Advertiser has obtained via an open records request e-mail correspondence between LSU officials and The Post, including Babb, for a span of 30 days predating Mulkey’s press conference. Those emails uncover details that shed light on the line of questioning the outlet had for Mulkey for its profile and LSU’s response to those inquires. Those emails also give insight into what The Post had planned to report against what ultimately published.
It is not uncommon for news organizations to not report everything they pursue for a story for a variety of reasons, including but not limited to protecting sources and inability to verify information.
A spokesperson for The Washington Post provided a statement to The Daily Advertiser on Friday that it “stands by Kent Babb and his reporting.”