Claressa Shields swiftly changed the discussion from potentially explosive to amicable when she shared her views on Angel Reese winning BET Sportswoman of the Year award. Reese, now with Chicago Sky and making waves within WNBA since her arrival averaging 17 points and 11 rebounds a game while breaking records at an early stage of her career, garnered considerable media coverage upon receiving this prestigious honour; some took Claressa’s reaction as displeasure with Reese winning which prodded Shields to speak out on Reese win directly while other individuals did so before.
Instagram user @scoopb highlighted Claressa Shields is setting the record straight and not throwing shade, via excerpt from an appearance on Scoop B Radio. In her comments to host Mike Greenblatt she stated “I wasn’t angry or salty or anything, just shocked,” while listing off some of Shield’s achievements that BET had yet to recognize as honorable achievements in sports.
Further elaborating on her initial response, Shields stressed that her comments bore no ill will towards Angel Reese. “It wasn’t anything against Angel, and I hate that they’re trying to pit me against her. I’m a fan of Angel Reese. She’s young, she’s hungry, and I see her wanting to get better. Honestly, I don’t know who gets more hate—me or her,” Shields stated, dismissing any notions of rivalry.
Shields shared her empathy for Reese, drawing parallels between their experiences with public scrutiny. “Anything that we do—good, bad—we say something, wear something; they’re all down our throats. Grown men, grown women constantly judging us, trolling us, trying to break our will and make us not be confident. And I think we both experience that. Being Black women, they attack us every single day.”
Addressing her initial reaction to Reese winning the BET Sportswoman of the Year award, Shields had expressed her confusion publicly, underscoring her belief in the importance of accolades. Her remarks prompted a dialogue about the accomplishments of both athletes and the criteria for such awards. “Still don’t know how I didn’t win the Sportswoman of the Year for the BET Awards, but Congrats to Angel Reese and all the other nominees. I just thought accolades mattered,” Shields had posted, leading to various interpretations of her comments.
Shields responded to those defending Reese’s achievements by emphasizing her respect for Reese while making clear the intent behind her words was not meant to diminish Reese’s accomplishments but highlight her own. Shields stated “ain’t nobody saying Angel Reese doesn’t have accolades or she is bad… what I meant was, whoever has achieved “THE MOST” accolades/accomplishments should win… so… team Angel Reese!” In response she reiterated her respect for Reese while emphasizing genuine sentiments while remaining competitively.
Shields’ clarifications have generated additional online discussions by calling attention to Angel Reese without her direct responses and reinforcing her support of him, sparking more discussions over time about public congratulations for achievements within sports. These clarifications also raise an interesting point: what mindfulness should look like for future public congratulations or discussion regarding sports-related achievements.