Angel Reese of Louisiana State University had two words for Jill Biden after the first lady suggested that both the winners and runners-up of the NCAA women’s basketball championship visit the White House.
“A JOKE,” Reese tweeted.
Biden attended Sunday’s game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, where Reese and his team defeated the Iowa Hawkeyes, 102-85.
Biden congratulated both teams on Monday during remarks to Colorado state legislators in Denver. Biden called the matchup a “great game” and a product of the fight for Title IX, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in universities, ushering in generations of female athletes since 1972.
Then he talked about inviting the two teams to the White House.
“I know we’ll get the champions to come to the White House; we always do. So, we expect LSU to come, but, you know, I’m going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played so well.” a good game,” he said.
Long before there could be an awkward meeting in the Rose Garden between rivals LSU and Iowa, Hawkeyes coach Lisa Bluder pulled her team out of the White House race.
“I gratefully acknowledge the First Lady’s sentiments, but a day in the White House should belong solely to the champion, LSU and Coach Mulkey,” Bluder said in a statement Tuesday afternoon, praising the Tigers and their Hall of Fame coach, kim mulkey.
“We would welcome the First Lady and the President to come to the ‘Home’ of Iowa. Hawkeye Carver Stadium – whenever!”
Although Iowa lost by 17 points, Biden may have been referring to Hawkeye Caitlin Clark’s record scoring. The 21-year-old Clark scored the most points in a single NCAA basketball tournament, men’s or women’s, with 191 points. She was also the first player to have consecutive 40 point games in NCAA tournament history.
LSU did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The first lady’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on her comments.
Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady’s press secretary, tweeted early Tuesday that Biden enjoyed the tournament and seeing the athletes’ progress. It was not immediately clear which teams would be invited to the White House.
Following Biden’s comments Monday, others tweeted sharing Reese’s annoyance.
“Hey @Reese10Angel, I mean absolutely zero disrespect to the First Lady, but you’re 1000% right,” sportscaster. Stephen A. Smith tweeted. “That’s a bad suggestion. Finalists aren’t invited to the White House. Why are we trying to change it now? I completely agree with you, Angel.”
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., asked in a tweet that the women of LSU, a predominantly black team that defeated a predominantly white team, have their moment to shine.
“When black women lead, people start moving the goal post and changing the rules. No. Iowa played a good game, but let the LSU players be as celebrated as other winning champion teams,” Bush wrote. “We understand being polite, but don’t do this.”
Reecie Colbert, founder of BlackWomenViews Media, tweeted that the LSU deal was a double standard.
“Now, since when has the WH been invited to second place with the champions? Come on, this is the kind of easy-to-crystallise example of double standards that pisses off black people. Don’t do it…” she wrote.
Others called the invitation to Iowa a “participation trophy” and He suggested that LSU would not have been invited if Iowa had won.
The double standard that many pointed to appeared to be the second Reese has faced since winning the championship on Sunday.
During the final game, the 20-year-old Reese made a gesture at Clark, which many were quick to call “classless.” The gesture, in which Reese put her hand in front of his face and then pointed to his ring finger to signify that his team would win the game, mimicked a gesture Clark had made during a previous game.
While Clark appeared to receive virtually no backlash, Reese was the subject of countless tweets about her behavior. The word “no class” started trending the Sunday after the game due to an influx of tweets.
Many, including NBA stars. Shaquille O’Neal and Lebron Jamesshe was quick to defend Reese, calling the reaction hypocritical and racist.
