Lisa Bluder responds to Angel Reese taunting Caitlin Clark

Lisa Bluder isn’t letting Angel Reese‘s taunts toward the end of Sunday’s national championship game get in the way of the incredible run her Iowa Hawkeyes went on this season.

Bluder didn’t blame Reese for her actions — the entire game was competitive from the opening whistle. Getting caught up in the heat of the moment right before being crowned the national champion isn’t a grudge Bluder wants to hold against the LSU star.

“I’m sure she was really proud of her accomplishment. And I would be really proud of my accomplishment if I made it and won the National Championship, too,” Bluder said postgame. “We’re all different people, and we all have different ways to show our emotions. Again, I’ve got to focus on what I can control.”

In the closing moments of the game, Reese channeled her inner John Cena on WrestleMania Sunday with his infamous ‘you can’t see me’ taunt — the same one revitalized by Iowa guard Caitlin Clark in their Elite Eight win over Louisville. Reese also pointed to her ring finger, signaling to Clark that she was going to get the national championship ring and not her.

Reese said her taunt derived from the disrespectful wave-off Clark gestured toward South Carolina‘s Raven Johnson when she was open at the three-point line during the Final Four. She took exception to Clark’s actions and ensured she didn’t disrespect LSU similarly.

After the game, Reese commented on the narrative that she’s the villain in this story. She said she didn’t fit the box people have slotted her in. “I’m too hood, I’m too ghetto,” she said. “Y’all told me that all year.” But when others do the same, they aren’t critiqued in the same way.

“So this is for the girls that look like me,” Reese continued. “That’s gonna speak up on what they believe in, it’s unapologetically you, and that’s what I did it for tonight. This was bigger than me tonight, it was bigger than me. Twitter’s going to go on a rage every time and I’m happy, I feel like I’ve helped grow women’s basketball this year, I’m super happy and excited so I’m looking forward to celebrating into next season.”

Regardless of her actions, Reese will forever be known as a 2023 national champion. She’s only a sophomore, too, which means she’s returning to the bayou for one more season under head coach Kim Mulkey.