Angel Reese Criticized During MLB Broadcast for Rebounding Stats

CHICAGO, Ill. — Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese found herself at the center of criticism during a Major League Baseball broadcast on Tuesday night. The Philadelphia Phillies were playing the Chicago White Sox when play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy sent birthday wishes to his former high school basketball teammate.

During the game, as the Phillies led 6-0, McCarthy mentioned his friend Bob Wyskowski, noting, “He was a heck of a basketball player. Played at Rider and Monmouth. It’s all because I missed a lot of shots and he cleaned them up.” His comments opened the door for analyst John Kruk to take a jab at Reese.

Kruk commented, “I don’t want to say anything, but there’s someone here in Chicago that does that a lot.” McCarthy replied, “That is true, she gets her points,” to which Kruk added, “She gets her rebounds, too.” Their remarks referenced Reese’s concept of “Mebounds,” a term she coined to describe her ability to rebound her own missed shots.

“We’ll be getting some tweets about that, I’m sure,” Kruk said, predicting a social media backlash against Reese. The comments drew attention, especially when Reese, despite being in her own game against the Washington Mystics at the time, responded on X. “Clout is one helluva DRUG. like it really gets to a point,” she wrote after scoring 22 points and securing 13 rebounds.

Reese later took to TikTok to express her feelings further. “To anybody that’s been mean to me, and you’re having a hard time in life, good,” she mouthed in her video. This criticism isn’t new to Reese, who has faced ongoing scrutiny regarding her finishing ability at the rim.

Nonetheless, Reese has distinguished herself as one of the top rebounders in the WNBA. She holds the record for the most double-doubles by a rookie with 26 and is the fastest player to reach 500 points and 500 rebounds this season.