Angel Reese says she’d rather pay a fine than speak to the media after games

WNBA star Angel Reese appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast earlier this week and said she felt mistreated by fans and the media along with the former first lady.

At one point in the interview, Reese admitted that she would rather take a fine than speak to reporters after games.

“The media hasn’t always been great to me. And I’m going to get fined. I’m going to get fined, especially in a WNBA. I’m going to get fined before I have to go to the media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said, while Obama repeatedly expressed agreement by saying “mhm” and “yeah.”

WNBA players are required by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was just signed a few weeks ago so players can get higher salaries, to be available to the media after the game.

Failure to follow these rules can result in fines, such as a $10,000 fine for skipping mandatory sessions.

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Obama’s brother and former college basketball player Craig Robinson, who co-hosts the podcast, told Reese during the interview that the sports media was trying to “make stuff up.”

“Sports is like reality TV. The media wants to make stuff up. And I just want you to know that I noticed how you handled yourself and it was absolutely with aplomb,” Robinson said.

Reese later added that she now likes to turn off her phone when she gets home after Obama asked her how she stays sane.

“I love being able to come home, turn off my phone and relax,” Reese said. “I think the maturity of just understanding social media isn’t real… Years ago I would comment on things and let them continue to bother me.”

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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois on September 3, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)

Reese went on to say that she can’t even “go to the grocery store” anymore.

Obama previously commented on the attention to Reese and his longtime rival, Caitlin Clark, during a podcast appearance last year.

During an appearance in August on the podcast “All the smoke with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson,” Obama said during a panel discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on player welfare and the “hate” involved.

“I think what’s difficult is the social media element. But it’s true across the board. I mean, we talked about it on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to handle, because social media is such a big part of the world,” Obama said.

“There is hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for some reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because they make their living that way. I mean, now they’re expected to stay engaged. So, I think that makes it even worse. But I think, as you point out, it happens in sports, regardless of gender. It’s just harder not to resist the horrible, horrible opinions of others.”

Obama, like his brother, previously compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of his brother’s “IMO” podcast in July.

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Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a taping of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast during the SXSW 2025 conference and festival in Austin, Texas, March 13, 2025. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)

“It’s a sociological study. They think sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching the ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “It’s the same drama, and they’re yelling at each other, and they’re not getting along, you know?”