Why did Angel Reese not want to go to the White House? Exploring reasons behind reservations

When LSU won its first women's basketball national championship in 2023, star player Angel Reese initially said she would decline the traditional White House visit. She was upset after first lady Jill Biden suggested that both teams from the NCAA Tournament final – the Tigers and Iowa Hawkeyes – should make the trip to Washington, D.C. Reese felt LSU alone deserved the celebration.

However, Reese and her teammates accepted the invitation from President Joe Biden once it was made a few days later.

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Why did Angel Reese not want to go to the White House?

LSU standout Angel Reese

LSU basketball star Angel Reese said she would refuse the White House visit for her NCAA championship team because Jill Biden suggested inviting runner-up Iowa, too.

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

It was not clear how serious Biden was with her suggestion to invite the runner-up, and her spokesperson appeared to retract the comments later.

Angel Reese dismissed Biden’s comments as “a joke” on social media and further criticized the suggestion on the “I Am Athlete” podcast interview.

“I don’t accept the apology because you said what you said," Reese said. "You can’t go back on certain things that you say. … They can have that spotlight. We’ll go to the Obamas. We’ll go see Michelle. We’ll see Barack.”

Traditionally, only champions receive invitations to the White House. If Iowa had also received an official invitation, it would have been the first time both title game teams were offered the opportunity.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey said her team would visit the White House if invited by the president when the Tigers won 102-85. The first lady then made the comments that upset Reese a day later.

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Angel Reese and the Tigers visited the White House

Biden hosts NCAA champion LSU Tigers at White House

Despite being upset with Jill Biden's comments, Angel Reese and LSU accepted Joe Biden's invitation to LSU for the White House visit. Joe Biden did not invite Iowa. University spokesman Michael Bonnette confirmed to the Associated Press that LSU had accepted the president's invitation.

On ESPN's SportsCenter, Reese said she would join her teammates on the White House trip despite voicing hesitation earlier.

“In the beginning, we were hurt — it was emotional because we know how hard we worked all year for everything,” Reese said.

“You don't get that experience (to go to the White House) ever, and I know my team probably wants to go for sure and my coaches are supportive of that, so I'm going to do what's best for the team, and we've decided we're going to go. I'm a team player. I'm going to do what's best for the team. I'm the captain.”

On May 26, Reese joined her fellow Tigers at a special ceremony with President Joe Biden, first lady Dr. Jill Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff.