Angel Reese says she’d rather pay a fine than talk to the media after the games

WNBA star Angel Reese appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast earlier this week and opened up about feeling mistreated by fans and the media with the former first lady.

At one point during the interview, Reese admitted that she would rather take a fine than talk to reporters after games.

“The media hasn’t always been good to me. And I’ll take a fine. I’ll get fined, especially in a WNBA. I’ll get fined before I go to the media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said, as Obama repeatedly expressed agreement by saying “mhm” and “yeah.”

WNBA players are required by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was just signed weeks ago to allow players to earn higher wages, to be available to the media after the game.

Failure to comply with these rules can lead to penalties, such as a $10,000 fine for skipping required sessions.

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Obama’s brother and former college basketball player Craig Robinson, who co-hosts the podcast, told Reese during the interview that the sports media is trying to “fabricate some things.”

“Sports is like reality TV. The media wants to portray some things. And I just want you to know that I’ve noticed how you’ve handled yourself and it’s been absolutely with confidence,” Robinson said.

Reese later went on to say that today she likes to turn off her phone when she gets home after Obama asked her how she stays sane.

“I love being able to come home and turn off my phone and just relax,” Reese said. “I think the maturity of just understanding like social media is not real…years before I would comment back on things and let things continue to bother me.”

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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese takes the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 3, 2025. (Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn Images)

Reese went on to claim that she can’t even “go to the grocery store” anymore.

Obama previously commented on the attention surrounding Reese and her longtime rival Caitlin Clark in a podcast appearance last year.

During an August performance d the podcast “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson,” Obama spoke during a panel discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on player well-being and the “hate” involved.

“I think the hard part is the social media element of it. But it’s true across the board. I mean, we’ve talked about it on our show; it just takes a normal event. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to withstand because social media is such a big part of the world,” Obama said.

“There’s the hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off because they’re living that way. I mean, now they’re expected to stay engaged. So I think that makes it feel even worse. But I think, as you point out, it’s not just with other genders, when it comes to other genders. horrible, horrible opinions.”

Obama, like his brother, has also previously compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of his brother’s podcast “IMO” in July.

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Michelle Obama speaks onstage during a taping of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast at the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 13, 2025. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)

“It’s all a sociological study. They think sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching ‘Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “It’s the same drama and they’re yelling at each other and they’re not getting along, you know?”