WNBA rookie Angel Reese seems to like the hot seat because she continues to attract bitterness and inflamed reactions from numerous fanbases.
Reese, who nicknamed herself the “Bayou Barbie” from her time at LSU, clapped back at Taylor Swift fans who expressed anger after Reese invited Travis Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole on her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel.”
Kelce, a Hall of Fame caliber tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, dated Nicole intermittently from 2017-2022, right up until he met and began dating Swift. The megastar’s fanbase, nicknamed the “Swifties,” are looking askance at Reese for making such a move that they deem as “classless” and a blatant form of “engagement baiting.”
On the “Unapologetically Angel” episode last week, Nicole told Reese she kept her distance from Swift after the singer formed a relationship with Kelce.
“We’ve seen each other in public spaces before, but due to the nature of his new situation, there’s no room for us to communicate or acknowledge each other publicly without it being spun into something crazy,” Nicole told Reese.
Angel Reese answers her many critics
Swifties accuse Reese of clout-chasing and using Nicole for clickbait material. After a few days of incurring the Swifties’ wrath, Reese responded with a simple answer on her X account: 
Reese, 22, who is now the forward for the Chicago Sky, first rocketed to fame and infamy when she taunted basketball juggernaut Caitlin Clark after thoroughly vanquishing her Iowa Hawkeyes in the college national championship in 2023. She’s also incurred the wrath of some Sky fans who feel she’s mostly responsible for the termination of her head coach, Teresa Weatherspoon, after just one season at the helm.
Other WNBA fans characterize Reese as a “narcissist” who engaged in stat-padding in order to break records, yet failed to contribute to the team winning. The Sky finished the season 13-27 and missed the playoffs.
Fan discontent with Angel Reese is intense
Fans responded to Reese’s seemingly flippant response to charges of mining for clicks and clout:
