“I think the WNBA and our team and our organization have done a great job supporting me. I’ve had communication from everyone, from so many people across this league. It could happen to me, it can happen to anyone. And I think they’ve done a good job supporting us in this,” said Angel Reese, addressing the league’s response after allegations surfaced that she was targeted with racial slurs following her on-court clash with Caitlin Clark. Just a week into the new season, the W has already seen its share of highs and unfortunate lows. But for Reese, this is just the beginning.
It’s safe to say Angel Reese hasn’t had the smoothest start to her rookie campaign. The former LSU star has gone just 5-of-22 from the field while also racking up 10 turnovers across two games. The Sky have dropped both contests — a brutal 35-point blowout to the Fever and a 25-point loss to the Liberty. It’s been far from the start she would’ve hoped for, and as expected, the criticism has started to pile up.
Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy didn’t hold back when it came to Angel Reese’s recent struggles. Following the Sky’s matchup against the New York Liberty, Portnoy shared two screenshots highlighting Reese’s struggles, zeroing in on her rough shooting night. “I don’t want to repost this stat line but morally I have to,” he wrote, referencing her failure to make a single field goal.
I don’t want to repost this stat line but morally I have to https://t.co/bcWVamW0Nw
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 23, 2025
Unfortunately, Portnoy didn’t stop there. He continued to pile on via X, sarcastically captioning a video of Angel Reese missing multiple shots with, “The beautiful game.” In another jab, he wrote, “We’re creating a WNBA safe space so no mentioning Angel’s 0-8 from the field today please. Thank you.” The posts quickly went viral!
Portnoy’s tweets lit a fire on social media, with fans jumping in to add to Angel Reese’s rough week. Memes, jokes, and harsh takes quickly followed as the internet did what it does best–pile on. Unfortunately, that’s just the brutal side of sports. When the performance dips, the criticism–fair or not–comes flooding in. Let’s take a look at some of those fan reactions.
Fans react to Dave Portnoy’s Angel Reese tweets
The internet didn’t hold back. Fans continued to pile on Angel Reese, feeding off Portnoy’s jabs. One user wrote, “Lol you are relentless,” while another joined in saying, “Portnoy posting Angel Reese’s stat line like it’s a court summons. ‘I didn’t want to do this… but justice demands it.’ You just know he hit send with the energy of a guy lighting a match in a gas station.”
Credit- Imagn
Look, no one’s denying it that Angel Reese has struggled. Her performance against the Liberty was rough. Going 0-for-7 from within four feet? That tied for the most such misses in a WNBA game over the last decade, according to ESPN. One moment that stood out against the Liberty came in the first quarter. Reese grabbed multiple offensive boards, kept trying to finish at the rim, got stuffed a few times, and eventually had to kick it back out. Naturally, that clip did the rounds online. But let’s be real–she’s not the only one underperforming. The Sky as a whole have a lot to answer for right now.
Not everyone was on board with Dave Portnoy’s relentless trolling of Angel Reese. Some fans were quick to call him out for what they felt was unnecessary targeting. “Two Angel Reese tweets to just one Caitlin Clark tonight. It’s a Fever game day and you’re busy trolling. Sad. Hopefully, Fever can avoid a second loss to Atlanta,” one fan posted. Another simply replied, “Don’t do it,”
While Fever did avoid defeat against the Dream, it was more to do with the fact that some fans weren’t pleased to see people ignoring the struggles the Sky have had as a unit. The Sky are off to a nightmare start– a 0-2 record with a staggering 60-point combined deficit, marking the worst point differential through two games in WNBA history.
The numbers are rough. Chicago is shooting just 32.4% from the field while letting their opponents convert at a scorching 50.4%. Add to that a league-worst net rating of minus-36, and things aren’t looking pretty. They’ve also coughed up 43 turnovers–10 more than their assists. Even the basics have been off: they went just 13-for-25 from the free-throw line in Thursday’s game. So yes, Reese hasn’t had the best start, but to pin the blame solely on her is far from fair.
The post Fans Label Dave Portnoy “Relentless” as His Angel Reese Social Media Barrage Continues Post-Liberty Loss appeared first on EssentiallySports.