Angel Reese Opens Up About What Helped Her Overcome the Hostility From Indiana Crowd During Game vs Fever
· Yahoo Sports
Celebrating Juneteenth, the Indiana Fever hosted the Atlanta Dream in a fiery matchup this Thursday. As the 17,274-strong Gainbridge Fieldhouse stood to sing Lift Every Voice and Sing before the kickoff, all cameras captured Angel Reese singing the Black National Anthem word by word. However, what many didn’t realize was that the local crowd booed her as she was shown on the Jumbotron.
That pressure Reese has faced and complained about many times before didn’t get to her skin, though. But as she helped her team win their home-and-home series with the Fever on Saturday, she didn’t mind revealing what was running in her mind throughout that time.
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“It was just one in the moment of where I was, and how it felt, and how it hit, and the things that I’ve had to experience over the last couple of years, and they haven’t always been great, but my ancestors walked so I can run,” Reese said after their latest win. “I’ll never forget that. Every day I wake up – I’m very grateful, and it’s not supposed to be easy. But I’m very, very grateful for this opportunity to be a Black woman; it’s a privilege, and to be in this space and be able to shine and use my voice is very important.
“Being where I was, hearing the loud boos when I was in the arena, and then when I heard ‘Lift Every Voice,’ it just made me feel like this is for the ones that walked for me. And then hearing it again tonight, obviously in Atlanta, they show up. So yeah, it is bigger than me. It’s for the ones that really walked, so we could run.”
Lift Every Voice and Sing, written by James Weldon Johnson in 1900, has remained a symbol of resilience, perseverance, and hope for generations. The song has been a big part of the WNBA’s Juneteenth programmes, and the NBA announced in 2021 that the WNBA will play it in the arenas to celebrate the occasion alongside other league social justice initiatives.
But while the Indiana crowd’s alleged dislike of Reese has many layers to it, none of them has any racial undertone.
For starters, Indiana’s face of basketball is Caitlin Clark. And Reese has been her archenemy ever since their 2023 NCAA title matchup, where LSU defeated Iowa, and the forward went on to show the ring finger and “you can’t see me” gesture towards the point guard. But what came next was even bigger.
Reese started her own podcast in 2024, and the first episode talked about the rivalry between the two players. While the two have busted any such narrative, what she said about Indiana’s loyal, basketball-loving crowd might have stuck with them.
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully,” Reese said in September 2024 in her podcast Unapologetically Angel‘s debut. “But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it.”
Things only got worse when they met each other with Reese’s former team, the Chicago Sky, in May 2025. An Indiana fan allegedly said something to the forward, and the WNBA launched a probe for the same. They did not find any evidence, but audience behavior was made stricter to avoid such optics.
Fast forward to now, and her focus is more on doing exactly what she does: inspire others and continue to win.
After defeating Indiana at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, Atlanta made sure to build on that momentum on Saturday night with a commanding 113-96 victory. But this win not only handed the Fever their second straight loss but also gave the Dream an upper hand with a 2-1 advantage in their season series.
But Atlanta didn’t exactly cruise to this victory. The Fever came out firing and even built an 11-point lead in the second quarter behind Caitlin Clark’s hot start.
Jun 18, 2026; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) and guard Rhyne Howard (10) celebrate in the first half against the Indiana Fever at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn ImagesHowever, Atlanta had no plans of letting this game slip as they took complete control in the third quarter by outscoring Indiana 28-15. Angel Reese finished the game with 18 points and eight rebounds.
In that process, Reese secured the 1,000th rebound (in just 79 games) of her WNBA career, which made her the fastest player in league history to reach that mark.
This was certainly a win the Dream will enjoy, especially with Angel Reese adding her name to the history books. But there won’t be much time to celebrate as Atlanta returns to action on June 22, when the Dream host the Toronto Tempo, looking to extend their winning run.
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