Sports
How does Angel Reese go from practice to Met Gala and back? 'It's what I do'
CHICAGO — If you want to know how quickly the WNBA is changing, just look at Angel Reese’s week.
On Monday, her 22nd birthday, the Chicago Sky rookie made an unusual trip after practice in suburban Deerfield.
Typically when people leave the Sachs Center, a park district health club in a strip mall, they might get some ramen at Jimmy Thai or a coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts. If they really feel like ruining their workout, they go across the street to Portillo’s.
Reese, who is a bit different than the average player, rookie or not, went to the Met Gala.
“These new kids,” veteran guard Diamond DeShields said with a laugh and a sigh. “They got it made.”
Happy Birthday, @Reese10Angel ! The basketball superstar is making her first #MetGala appearance tonight wearing @16Arlington.
See more @TheMarkHotelNY departures here: https://t.co/dCcxppu9YC pic.twitter.com/pnNtFCOHpA
— WWD (@wwd) May 6, 2024
Reese rocked a custom dress from British label 16Arlington, enjoyed the night among the glitterati and then flew back to Chicago to be ready to put in some work Tuesday. She scored 13 points and added five rebounds in 19 minutes as the Sky blew out the New York Liberty in a 101-53 preseason victory.
“I went to the Met Gala, slayed the Met Gala in New York, came back, slayed against New York,” she said. “It’s what I do.”
“Angel is unique,” DeShields said. “She’s incredibly unique. I think that is really cool that she got that opportunity to go to the Met Gala. I mean, I’m still waiting on my invite.”
And for a meaningless preseason game, the Sky — who aren’t expected to be anything close to contenders and will be missing their top draft pick Kamilla Cardoso for four to six weeks because of a shoulder injury — legitimately had Chicago buzzing.
Reese has lent the team her shine. While No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark is the undisputed leader in WNBA rookie celebrity — she killed on Saturday Night Live before the draft — Reese is no slouch. It’s not why they drafted her No. 7 overall — she’s a ferocious rebounder and skilled inside scorer — but it doesn’t hurt to have some star power for a team looking for its share of the attention economy in a crowded market. The Sky were led by hometown legend Candace Parker when they lit up the city and won the WNBA title in 2021, but that glow quickly faded.
Now, it’s a new team and a new time. It’s Reese’s time.
On Tuesday, her viral trip to New York added some intrigue — How would she play? — and then Chicago Bears Caleb Williams, Rome Odunze and Keenan Allen showed up and sat courtside, making a game otherwise only open to season ticket holders a scene.
That Chi-Town love hits different 🤝
Keenan Allen, Caleb Williams, & Rome Odunze of the @chicagobears and Coby White of the @chicagobulls pulled up to support the Sky! pic.twitter.com/UKgWiUY608
— WNBA (@WNBA) May 8, 2024
Chicago athletes showing up to Sky games is normal — Williams, as the Bears’ No. 1 pick, adds a little extra pop to wherever he goes — but Reese, who is always thinking big, predicts this will be a recurring story here and on the road.
“Everybody is going to be courtside,” she said. “The celebrities are going to be courtside. Just know, the who’s who’s is going to be courtside. I was at the Met Gala and Usher (said he) is going to try to come up to a game in Vegas, and Cardi B. I know some people that y’all might not think I know, but I know.”
The big news in the league right now is the surprise announcement from commissioner Cathy Engelbert (seriously, even the teams didn’t know it was coming) that the WNBA will start traveling on chartered flights. The money is coming, and it’s time for the WNBA to invest in its game. No more travel delays that wipe out a day off.
A private plane, of course, is how Reese got to New York so quickly. Again, she’s different.
“I did all my hair and makeup on the plane,” she said. “Both of my girls and one of my friends got on the plane with me. We’re doing hair and makeup on a plane, blow drying and flat ironing, which is crazy, but it turned out great, as you can see.”
With young celebrities like Reese and Clark in the league and the attention they bring, perhaps that’s one reason why the WNBA is finally acting on the players’ long-held request for chartered flights.
“I am glad that the league was proactive,” veteran Sky forward Elizabeth Williams said. “We’re in a time where, I mean, Angel has 3 million followers. She has a spotlight on her that none of us have and we don’t have anything to compare it to. And rather than having an incident occur, I think this is a proactive take.”
After all that hoopla, Reese said that if she had a bad game against the Liberty, she would’ve heard her ex-coach at LSU, the forever-piqued Kim Mulkey, in her head, if not her current Sky head coach Teresa Weatherspoon. So she made sure she was ready to play, even if it was just a preseason game. Reese could make a serious living as a social media influencer, but this is her career.
“I already knew the expectations going into it, like I needed to be locked in and focused on my matchups,” she said. “I took my matchups seriously. I watched film when I was on the plane. I wanted to get back. People at the Met Gala were like, ‘Are you partying after this?’ I said, no, I got a game tomorrow. I gotta watch film. I prioritize everything. I’m still in school as well, so I got a busy schedule of a lot going on. But like I said, you’ve got to maximize your 24 hours.”
Weatherspoon, one of the greatest women’s basketball players of all time, hasn’t coached a real WNBA game yet, but she’s obviously comfortable enough to let her players be themselves. It bodes well for her as she shepherds a mostly new roster with limited outside expectations of winning.
As for Reese’s trip, she loved it. Weatherspoon said Reese “earned that opportunity to go and me as her head coach, I’m not going to take that away from her.”
“How did I know I could trust Angel Reese?” she said. “Angel does angelic stuff, so I know that she understands how to prioritize.”
At the Sky’s media day Wednesday, Reese talked about the duality of her life and her image on and off the court.
“I always felt like I wanted to be the cute, pretty girl on the court, but I wanted to also be a dog and have that dog mentality,” she said. “So I want to continue to let women understand and know, like, you can do both.”
The idea that women’s basketball players peak in college is foolish. At 22, Reese’s career and life are just beginning. Her WNBA career hasn’t started yet, but it’s fair to expect that we will be talking about her for a long time.
(Photo of Angel Reese: Ilya S. Savenok / Getty Images for The Mark Hotel)
Sports
ESPN’s Stephen A Smith hears boos from WrestleMania 42 crowd
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
Sports
After 55 years as a broadcaster in L.A., Randy Rosenbloom is leaving town
It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.
“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.
He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.
“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”
He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.
Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.
Nothing was too small or too big for him.
“I loved everything,” he said.
He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.
Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.
“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”
Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?
“I stayed calm,” he said.
Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”
Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.
“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.
Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.
He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.
He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.
One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.
He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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