Angel Reese says he’d rather pay the fine than talk to the media after games

WNBA star Angel Reese appeared on Michelle Obama’s podcast earlier this week, and opened up about feeling bullied by fans and the media by the first lady.

At one point during the interview, Reese admitted that he would rather be fined than talk to reporters after games.

“The media has always failed me. And I’ll take a fine. I’ll take a fine, especially in the WNBA. I’ll have a fine before I go to the media and feel like my back is against the wall,” Reese said, while Obama expressed agreement with repeated “mhm,” and “yes.”

WNBA players are required by their collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which was recently signed to allow players to receive higher salaries, to be available to the media after the game.

Failure to comply with these rules can result in penalties, such as a $10,000 fine for exceeding the required times.

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Obama’s brother and former college basketball player Craig Robinson, who hosts the podcast, told Reese during the interview that the sports media is trying to “do certain things.”

“Sports is like reality TV. The media wants to do certain things. And I want you to know that I saw how you handled yourself and it was a lot of fun,” Robinson said.

Over time, Reese went on to say that these days he likes to turn off his phone when he gets home after Obama asked him how he stays sane.

“I like to just come home and turn off my phone and just relax,” said Reese. “I think the maturity of understanding just like social media is not true… years ago I would respond to things and let things continue to bother me.”

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Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese walks the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Connecticut Sun at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Ill., on Sept. 3, 2025. (Photos by Kamil Krzaczynski/Imagn)

Reese went on to say that he couldn’t “go to the grocery store” anymore.

Obama previously commented on the attention of Reese and his longtime rival Caitlin Clark in a podcast appearance last year.

During the advent of August a podcast “All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson,” Obama spoke during a panel discussion about the impact of the Clark-Reese drama on the WNBA’s popularity, the impact on player welfare and the “hate” involved.

“I think the hardest thing is the social media part of it. But that’s true across the board. I mean, we talked about this on our show; it just takes a normal occurrence. These young kids today, what they have to go through, what they have to be able to cope with, because social media is a big part of the world,” Obama said.

“There’s hate. But now the hate is in your room, on your phone, with you all the time. And you can’t, for whatever reason, tell these kids to turn it off, because that’s how they make their lives. I mean, now they’re expected to always participate. So, I think that makes it worse. But I think, as you point out, that happens to sports players, without the stronger sex. Horrible ideas.”

Obama, like his brother, also previously compared ESPN to reality TV during an episode of his brother’s “IMO” podcast in July.

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Michelle Obama speaks on stage during a taping of the “IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson” podcast at the 2025 SXSW Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, on March 13, 2025. (Julia Beverly/WireImage)

“It’s all a social lesson. They think sports is better reality TV, I’m like, ‘It’s the same thing.’ If I listen to ESPN for an hour, it’s like watching ‘The Real Housewives of Atlanta,’ you know?” Obama said. “Same drama, and they yell at each other, and they don’t hear each other, you know?”

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