$1.7 million NIL-valued Angel Reese breaks silence on receiving criticism during suspension: "They said my GPA was low, I was pregnant"

During a few turbulent weeks in November 2023, the world of LSU star Angel Reese was rocked by speculation about the star's absence for four Tigers games with no official explanation.

Rumors abounded about the cause of her suspension, from poor grades, possible pregnancy to beef between her mother Angel Webb and teammate Flau'Jae Johnson's mother, Kia Brooks.

In a recent interview with ESPN, the $1.7 million NIL-valued Reese (as per On3) revealed that she has taken note of the widespread criticism she received this season and explained why her stats have dipped.

"I want people to underestimate me," Angel Reese said. "I'm telling you, I have everything bookmarked for the right moment when everything just falls right into my hands."

"They said I was too worried about social media, my GPA was low, I was pregnant," Reese said. "Yeah, my stats have gone down maybe four to five points because I'm on a way better team this year. But I'm still averaging a double-double every game. I think people don't realize I can do 10,000 things and still be good at all of them. And I can't wait till just everything just falls right into place."

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Angel Reese explains her grit

LSU's Angel Reese is one of the most talked-about student-athletes in the country since leading the No. 3 seed Tigers to the national championship last year and ruffling Caitlin Clark's feathers along the way.

Reese is a divisive figure in college basketball due to her production on the court and gritty style, which includes a tonne of trash talk aimed at opponents that occasionally rubs hoops fans the wrong way.

In a recent interview with ESPN, Reese explained why she has that edge in her game that has made her both the star she is and occasionally gets her in trouble for her actions against opponents on the court.

"I played with the boys and my brother," Angel Reese said. "I used to win all the time. And I used to trash talk. They hated it."

"I think that's why I'm so hungry," Reese said. "That's why I'm always so competitive, have a really competitive edge. I know where I come from, back to my high school, just going into a rougher area which is Baltimore and having to kind of get it out the mud and having a chip on my shoulder."

Angel Reese registered a double-double (10 points, 19 rebounds) in the first round of LSU's March Madness 70-60 win against the Rice Owls.