Angel Reese goes viral on TikTok for controversial habit that inflates her numbers

Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese entered the WNBA with a unique style that has already made her an All-Star on the court and a celebrity off the court. However, many basketball fans have noticed a trend in her playing style that has led to inflated statistics, making her the punchline of the viral TikTok trend “Hoop like Angel Reese.”

The “Hoop like Angel Reese” challenge

Throughout her playing career, Angel Reese has been attacked by everyone from opposing coaches to national media outlets to politicians for her outspoken style. Now, she is being clowned by a new group of haters that nobody wants to get on the wrong side of: random kids on TikTok.

Basketball fans have long taken notice of one particular quirk in Angel Reese’s game that makes her statistics look better than other players, but the TikTok account called “Adventures with Sav and Lex” went viral for putting the common critique in unmissable video form, earning 1.8 million views in the process.  “Why is this so accurate?” said the most popular comment on TikTok, with 15,000 likes echoing the fact that everybody recognizes Reese’s particular habit.

Are Angel Reese’s stats inflated?

The Chi Town Barbie leads the WNBA in rebounding with 11.8 per game. However, many of those rebounds come off her own misses. When she takes two or three attempts to make a close basket, it inflates both her scoring and rebounding numbers. Her average of 4.8 offensive rebounds per game and sub-40% field goal percentage, very poor for a post player, speak to the trend.

“Angel Reese finished with 27 rebounds” pic.twitter.com/aDYQGwzdGk

— ᗩᑎT ᗯᖇIGᕼT (@itsAntWright) July 3, 2024

“Angel teaching yall how to stay with it, how to be a dawg, how to get persistent, how NOT to give up!!” typed one defensive fan, while others reminded everyone that Reese’s unique play style has made her a NCAA Champion and WNBA All-Star.

Reese is no stranger to going viral on social media, but she may not see the funny side of this particular trend. On the bright side, she is being critiqued solely for her basketball play, a refreshing twist for someone often dragged down wrongfully for her strong and influential personality