After an impressive WNBA rookie season with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese took a brief break before joining the inaugural season of the new 3-on-3 Unrivaled league. Reese is playing for Rose Basketball Club, which dropped to 1-4 after a 75-63 loss to Sabrina Ionescu’s Phantom Basketball Club on Friday night.
Reese had a solid performance in Miami, Florida, where the games are being held. The former LSU Tigers star recorded 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, along with seven rebounds. Meanwhile, Ionescu, fresh off a WNBA championship, dominated with a game-high 32 points on 11-of-18 shooting, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
During the TNT broadcast, a fan captured a moment on the bench where Reese and her teammates were having a discussion. The audio appeared to capture Reese making a blunt statement about Ionescu’s defense. “They can’t stop it,” Reese seemed to say. “Sabrina can’t (expletive) guard.”
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The clip quickly spread on social media, with WNBA fans taking sides. Some agreed with Reese, commenting, “We all know Sab can’t guard.” Another added, “Players do this all the time, lol she didn’t lie.” A third wrote, “And she’s right, so.”
Others defended Ionescu, pointing out her dominant offensive performance. “She doesn’t have to guard when she can outshoot your team the way she did tonight,” one fan said. Another noted, “Sabrina dropped 32 points after coming back from Paris lmao.” A third added, “And y’all couldn’t guard her. She cooked your whole squad.”
Through five games, Reese (11.6 MPG) has logged the third-most minutes on Rose’s six-player roster, averaging 11.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Ionescu, meanwhile, ranks third in the league in scoring (21.3 PPG) and leads in assists (5.3 APG).
Reese and Rose Basketball Club will return to action on Saturday against Laces BC, while Ionescu and Phantom (2-3) face Mist BC on Sunday.
