"Runner-ups don’t get invited to the White House"- Stephen A. Smith is stunned after LSU and Iowa gets invited to the White House

Stephen A. Smith slammed First Lady Jill Biden’s suggestion to invite Caitlin Clark and Iowa to the White House along with Angel Reese and the LSU Tigers. Reese’s Tigers just won the NCAA women’s championship, the first in school history, over Clark’s Hawkeyes 102-85 on Sunday.

The First Lady was one of the millions who watched the exciting and testy game. She appreciated Iowa’s show of sportsmanship and wanted to invite them to Washington.

Stephen A. Smith had this to say about the possible invitation:

“Hey @Reese10Angel, I mean absolutely zero disrespect to the First Lady, but you are 1000% correct. That is a bad suggestion. Runner-ups don’t get invited to the White House. Why are we trying to change it now? I completely agree with you, Angel.”

LSU’s Angel Reese, who won the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award, commented on ESPN’s report about Jill Biden’s suggestion:

“A JOKE.”

The First Lady was in Denver when she said she would ask her husband to extend the usual champs-only invitation to the Iowa Hawkeyes, per ESPN:

"I know we'll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So, we hope LSU will come. But, you know, I'm going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game."

Angel Reese has been at the center of a social media storm over the last few days. Her “You Can’t See Me Gesture” to Iowa’s Caitlin Clark earned her both praise and abuse from even non-basketball fans.

After the game, Reese defended her actions:

"I was waiting. I'll tell you, I was waiting, I was waiting. Man, hey, Caitlin Clark is an incredible player, for sure. But I don't take disrespect lightly. She disrespected (LSU's) Alexis (Moore) and my girls, South Carolina. They're still my SEC girls, too, and y'all not gonna disrespect them, either."

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith was also one of those who refused to criticize the LSU star after she received a ton of backlash.

Clark, who broke the NCAA record for most points (191) in the tournament, denied seeing Angel Reese’s John Cena impersonation. The Hawkeyes’ best player was the first to bring out the gesture in Iowa’s win over Louisville in the Elite Eight.

Unlike Reese, who is Black, Clark, who is white, hardly received any criticism for her use of “You Can’t See Me” taunt. In fact, ESPN, which broadcast the tournament, produced a segment celebrating Clark's trash talk, touting the National Player of the Year as "the queen of clapbacks."

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President Joe Biden may have already agreed with Stephen A. Smith and Angel Reese

The First Lady’s suggestion may not have mattered to Joe Biden as the President congratulated UConn and LSU for their respective championships. Stephen A. Smith and Angel Reese may have proven their point in the end.

Biden also added that “I look forward to welcoming them at each of their White House visits.” There was no mention of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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