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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Meghan L. Hall

Angel Reese reminds the world (including Kim Mulkey): ‘I am human. I’m not just an athlete.’

Angel Reese’s return to basketball should not be overshadowed by the overarching message that her humanity matters.

The last several days have been a whirlwind for the LSU Lady Tigers. Reese’s mysterious four-game benching sent shockwaves through college basketball circles as many began to wonder: where was Angel Reese?

Head coach Kim Mulkey did little to shed any light on what may have been happening behind the scenes, instead opting to remain relatively mum and let the storylines go as they may.

However, Angel spoke her truth to the media on Thursday after a solid 19-point performance against Virginia Tech. She credited words of encouragement from her mentor, Shaquille O’Neal, and a mental health break as critical parts of her journey to return.

Still, something must be said about how this situation was handled.

Mulkey and Reese likely decided she needed a mental break after the rough start to the season. LSU was stunned by Colorado, and days later, midway through a game against Kent State, Mulkey realized that Reese was still not playing her best and benched her for a much-needed reset.

That’s completely valid reasoning, and Reese nor Mulkey owed anyone an explanation for that.

But Mulkey spent nearly two weeks NOT protecting Reese by giving non-answers on her high-profile athlete. That presents a problem when that athlete is a young, outspoken and competitive woman of color — perception matters.

After all, Reese sparked a national dialogue about women in sports simply by doing what she saw her peers, like Caitlin Clark and many other male athletes, levy against opponents. Since that moment, the narratives on Reese have run the gamut, and Mulkey has allowed them to, despite having a platform that she continually affirms is for her athletes.

Reese, who credits Mulkey as a massive reason she is at LSU, has essentially pledged her success to Kim, saying, “You need a Kim Mulkey in your life.

But Mulkey should remember: she also needs Reese. Parts of her 700 career wins as a coach and a fourth national title wouldn’t have happened without Reese’s unyielding allegiance.

It doesn’t happen without recognizing the humans behind the magic.

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