"Needs to stay in the gym" - A'ja Wilson's controversial friend mocks Angel Reese after Unrivaled debut struggles 

A'ja Wilson's controversial friend, Michael McManus, mocked Angel Reese after her Unrivaled debut on Friday. The Rose BC star had a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double. However, Reese's offensive struggles were prominent. She shot 3 of 7, including 2 of 2 from the free throw line, but barring a midrange jump shot, she had some notable lowlights.

Wilson's friend, McManus, tweeted about Reese's performance on X, advising her to "stay in the gym" and improve her skills.

"Angel needs to stay in the gym, McManus, a.k.a, Deloris wrote.

A'ja Wilson's friend's tweet

Hours later, in a follow-up tweet, McManus explained his tweet after several Angel Reese fans argued his take, saying that Rose BC struggled in the post.

McManus, a.k.a Deloris, was Wilson's friend since their college days. He has been involved in controversies for his bold takes on X (formerly Twitter) and has been accused of harassing and abusing black women. McManus is friends with several personalities associated with South Carolina, including coach Dawn Staley and Caitlin Clark's Fever teammate, Aliyah Boston.

Angel Reese reflects on her development after Unrivaled debut

Angel Reese summed up her debut game in Unrivaled with one word.

"Growth," Reese tweeted.

While critics still believe there is room for Reese to develop more, she is taking steps in the right direction by evolving her offensive game, especially with her jump shooting. She was critiqued and trolled for not being efficient, making only 39.1% of her shots from the floor in her rookie WNBA season, despite majorly playing in the post.

Nevertheless, Reese was getting used to the physicality and intensity of the pros. A 3 of 7 shooting performance on Friday proves she is focusing on making the right decisions and putting up efficient performances. Reese also maintained her effort on defense, which stood out during her rookie WNBA season.

She will have another shot at proving her doubters wrong when Rose BC suits up for the second day in a row on Saturday against the Lunar Owls BC.