Sports
WNBA star Angel Reese says she’d rather pay a fine than speak to reporters sometimes
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WNBA star Angel Reese opened up on her fear of the media and claimed she would rather just pay a fine than speak with reporters.
The Chicago Sky player and archrival of Caitlin Clark spoke about her thoughts on interacting with the media in the latest episode of her podcast “Unapologetically Angel,” this week.
“Even before the game, I’m terrified of what the media is about to ask. Because it could be the nicest question, but it’s going to get flipped or put into a different light or a different perspective. It’s like, ‘Are you here intentionally to start a mess, or are you intentionally here to ask a question?’ And it’s really tough for me in the media. Like, I don’t want to do an interview with anybody,” Reese said.
“Seriously, I’d rather take the fine sometimes than talking to the media because it always gets flipped. And I think that’s where media has gotten these days. You could literally post ‘the sky is blue,’ and Angel said, ‘It’s too dark.’ Stuff like that, you know. So, I think, it’s just, for me, the media is really scary.”
The Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese heads to the locker room after being ejected from a game against the New York Liberty June 4, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
Reese has been the subject of intense media attention dating back to the 2023 NCAA women’s basketball national championship game, when her LSU Tigers beat Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes, and Reese taunted Clark by pointing to her ring finger at the end of the game.
Reese has become arguably the most controversial figure in women’s basketball since then. Many of Reese’s quotes and statements have often been at the center of controversy in the sport.
Toward the end of the 2025 WNBA season in September, Reese prompted backlash for comments made to a Chicago Tribune reporter, in which the star called out her team for a last-place finish and 10-34 record.
“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year,” Reese told The Chicago Tribune. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me. I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So, it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.
“I am very vocal about what we need and what I want. I’d like to be here for my career, but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me. But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”
Reese later apologized for the comments but claims the quotes were taken out of context.
INSIDE CAITLIN CLARK AND ANGEL REESE’S IMPACT ON MEN’S BASKETBALL
“I probably am frustrated [with] myself right now,” Reese said at a postgame news conference Sept. 4. “I think the language is taken out of context. I really didn’t intentionally mean to put down my teammates because they’ve been through this with me throughout the whole year. They’ve busted their ass, just like I’ve busted my ass. They’ve showed up for me through thick and thin and in the locker room when nobody could see anything.
“So, I want to apologize to my teammates, which I already have about the article and how it was misconstrued about what was said. And I just have to be better with my language. Because I know it’s not the message, it’s the messenger. And understanding what I say can be taken any kind of way. So, I just have to really be better and grow from this.”
Reese was then suspended for the first half of a game later that week for “statements detrimental to the team.”
In May, Reese was at the center of a WNBA investigation into “hateful” comments made against her during the Sky’s season opener against Clark’s Connecticut Fever.
Reese was asked if she was able to provide the WNBA with details about the incident. She did not offer specifics on whether she had done so, saying, “That’s not a me question.” She also did not reveal what type of comments were made or any other specifics about what prompted the investigation.
However, moments earlier, in that same news conference with reporters, Reese said she was receiving widespread support from across the league because of the alleged incident.
“Obviously, there’s no place in this league for that,” Reese said at that time. “I think the WNBA and our team and our organization has done a great job supporting me. … Going through this whole process, if it can happen to me. It can happen to anyone.”
Then, after the investigation ended the following week, the league did not find sufficient evidence to validate the allegations.
Reese has previously accused Clark’s fans of racism and even alleged they created explicit AI-generated images of the Sky star and sent them to her family members.
Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese dribbles against the Minnesota Lynx in the first quarter at Target Center. (Brad Rempel/Imagn Images)
“I think it’s really just the fans, her fans, the Iowa fans, now the Indiana fans, that are really just, they ride for her, and I respect that, respectfully. But sometimes it’s very disrespectful. I think there’s a lot of racism when it comes to it,” Reese said in the first episode of her podcast in early September.
“Multiple occasions, people have made AI images of me naked. They have sent it to my family members. My family members are like uncles, sending it to me like, ‘Are you naked on Instagram?’
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Rick Treadway, a former IndyCar driver who raced at the 2002 Indianapolis 500, died on Saturday in a motorcycle crash, the company announced. He was 56.
Treadway raced the 2002 Indy 500 under his father Fred Treadway’s race team. He started in 17th and finished in 29th in that race. He got his first start on the IndyCar circuit in 2001 in Kentucky midway through the season. He made eight starts the following season.
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Rick Treadway drives a Chevrolet G Force for Treadway and Associates Racing during the Copper World Indy 200 at Phoenix International Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz., on March 17, 2002. (Robert LaBerge/Getty Images)
“The Indy 500 start was the highlight of Treadway’s INDYCAR SERIES career, which consisted of 11 races in the 2001 and 2002 seasons for his father’s teams, Treadway-Hubbard Racing and Treadway Racing,” Indianapolis Motor Speedway said in a news release.
IndyCar drivers like Conor Daly and Arie Luyendyk paid tribute to Treadway in posts on X.
Arie Luyendyk puts on his fire retardant mask before getting into his Treadway-Hubbard Racing G Force Oldsmobile during practice for the Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., on May 10, 2001. (Robert Laberge/Allsport)
“Really sad to see this news today. If you listen to @SpeedStreetPod you know how much this name means to a certain segment of our show. RIP Ricky. We’ll keep doing our #indy500 driver research in your honor!” Daly wrote.
Luyendyk added, “Sad news hearing Rick Treadway passed away last Saturday. Our condolences go out to my former @IndyCar team owner Fred Treadway, Janice and Brian Treadway. Rick was a fun, crazy, humble, wild and brave personality.
“RIP Ricky. We are thinking of you, Treadway family.”
Laurent Redon of France drives the #34 Dallara/Infiniti car next to Rick Treadway in the #55 G Force/Chevrolet during the 20th Anniversary Grand Prix of Miami at Homestead Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., on March 2, 2002. (Brian Cleary/Getty Images)
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Treadway previously competed in the Formula 2000 junior formula racing series and competed in the Indy Legends Charity Pro-Am Race from 2014 to 2018.
As if anyone needed a reminder, the Rams know how to go all-in.
Their no-fear approach and penchant for pulling off massive trades resulted in two previous Super Bowl appearances — and one Super Bowl title.
On Monday, with a clear eye toward playing in Super Bowl LXI at SoFi Stadium, they did it again.
Having already built a Super Bowl-ready roster, Rams general manager Les Snead added another gigantic piece, acquiring defensive end Myles Garrett — the league’s defensive player of the year — in a deal with the Cleveland Browns for edge rusher Jared Verse, a 2027 first-round draft pick, a 2028 second-round pick and 2029 third-round pick.
In Garrett, 30, they add star power to a team already bursting with it.
Garrett is a nine-year veteran, five-time All-Pro and two-time defensive player of the year. Last season, he amassed a league-high 23 sacks, increasing his career total to 125½.
Garrett is scheduled to earn $31.5 million this season, according to Overthecap.com.
Verse, 25, was the 19th player chosen in the 2024 draft. He was the NFL defensive rookie of the year and last season and had 7½ sacks for a Rams team that advanced to the NFC championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks.
Verse is scheduled to carry a salary-cap hit of $2.9 million this season, according to Overthecap, but is presumably in line for a massive contract extension.
“Thank you for everything LA,” Verse posted on Instagram.
“Thank you, Jared! Best of luck in Cleveland,” the Rams posted to X after the trade was announced.
Rams linebacker Jared Verse (8) celebrates after a defensive stand against the Colts in September.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
The trade for Garrett is the second major offseason deal for the Rams. In March, they sent the No. 29 pick in the draft to the Kansas City Chiefs for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, and then signed him to an extension that makes him the highest paid player at his position in NFL history.
Even before the trade for Garrett, the Rams were regarded as a favorite to play in the Super Bowl.
But the deal harked to other major moves Snead has engineered since the Rams returned to Southern California from St. Louis in 2016.
Yes, we’ve seen this act before.
In 2018 — two years after Snead traded up 14 spots to draft quarterback Jared Goff No. 1 overall and a year after the Rams hired coach Sean McVay — Snead traded for cornerbacks Marcus Peters and Aqib Talib and signed defensive end Ndamukong Suh before trading for receiver Brandin Cooks. At the trade deadline, the Rams traded for edge rusher Dante Fowler. They advanced to Super Bowl LIII before losing to the New England Patriots.
In 2019, the Rams traded multiple first-round picks for cornerback Jalen Ramsey, giving them a back-end star to pair with Aaron Donald.
Two years later, they traded Goff and multiple first-round picks to the Detroit Lions for quarterback Matthew Stafford, and then bolstered their Super Bowl chances by signing free-agent receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and trading for edge rusher Von Miller.
The result: A Super Bowl LVI title won at SoFi Stadium.
Now, five years later, after an historic Super Bowl hangover and then seasons that ended with losses in the wild-card and NFC divisional rounds and the NFC championship, the Rams are primed for another expected Super Bowl appearance in the stadium owner Stan Kroenke built.
Stafford, at 38, is the reigning NFL most valuable player. The Rams recently signed him to a one-year, $55-million extension that ties him to the Rams through the 2027 season.
The offense also features receivers All-Pro Puka Nacua and future hall of famer Davante Adams, running back Kyren Williams and multiple tight ends that helped make the Rams the top-scoring team in the NFL last season.
The Rams addressed their biggest weakness by trading for McDuffie and signing cornerback Jaylen Watson, his former Chiefs teammate. They join a secondary that includes safeties Quentin Lake and Kamren Curl, both of whom signed extensions.
While Verse is an ascending star, the Rams have added a player in Garrett capable of taking over games in a way not seen by the franchise since Donald retired after the 2023 season.
Garrett joins a front that includes tackles Kobie Turner, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford and edge rusher Byron Young, who was voted to the Pro Bowl last season.
That unit should take pressure off a rebuilt secondary and enable McDuffie and others to make plays that were missing in last season’s losses to the Seahawks.
So the Rams, once again, are clearly built for another Super Bowl run and a boom or bust season.
It begins on Sept. 10 against the San Francisco 49ers in Melbourne, Australia.
The Rams are betting that Garrett is the piece that ensures it ends in the Super Bowl at SoFi Stadium.
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Christian Pulisic is considered to be one of the best American-born soccer players in the world and is expected to be a major part of the U.S. national team’s run in the upcoming World Cup.
It’s why the goal drought going into a friendly against Senegal was absolutely bizarre. Pulisic hadn’t put one into the back of the net since Dec. 28 when AC Milan defeated Hellas Verona in a Serie A match.
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United States forward Christian Pulisic shoots past Senegal forward Cherif Ndiaye during the first half of an international friendly soccer match in Charlotte, N.C., on May 31, 2026. (Scott Kinser/AP)
He got the weight off his back on Sunday when he scored in the 19th minute of the U.S. match against Senegal.
“Now maybe we can stop talking about it,” he said after the match.
The Americans won, 3-2, despite Sadio Mané tying the match early in the second half. Folarin Balogun put the U.S. ahead in the 62nd minute.
Pulisic was scoreless in his final 19 matches for AC Milan. The score also ended an eight-match scoreless streak while playing for the U.S. national team.
United States forward Christian Pulisic celebrates with midfielder Sebastian Berhalter after scoring in the first half against Senegal in an international friendly soccer match in Charlotte, N.C., on May 31, 2026. (Scott Kinser/AP)
“I felt this confidence, like I have played really well in recent months, but all everyone seems to want to worry about is goals. So, hopefully, we can stop talking about it,” Pulisic said. “We have games ahead and I have to be ready.”
US SOCCER LEGEND CLINT DEMPSEY PREVIEWS TEAM’S WORLD CUP CHANCES, DISCUSSES ‘RESPONSIBILITY’ TO GROW THE GAME
Pulisic added that it was a relief to finally get the goal.
“The performance of Christian, for 45 minutes, was really, really good,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “He still has the potential to improve. But I think it is the way that he is training from day one. (The) way he played for 45 minutes was the habits that he created last week. Every day training with this attitude, with this commitment, with this energy. I think now we need to try to extend (it) until 90 minutes.
“I am happy for him also because after a long time, a few months, he scored again. Obviously, that is important for our players in the preparation to the World Cup.”
United States forward Christian Pulisic reacts after scoring in the first half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C., on May 31, 2026. (Bob Donnan/Imagn Images)
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The U.S. will play Germany in its next friendly on Saturday. Then, it’s off to its first World Cup Group D match against Paraguay.
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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