Angel Reese’s own teammate intervened after she performed a disrespectful gesture to her opponents after Atlanta Dream advanced in the WNBA Playoffs.
The Dream are heading to the semifinals after sweeping the Washington Mystics 2-0 in the first round of the postseason.
Reese scored 15 points with seven rebounds and three blocks as her team won 93-75 in a convincing performance in Wednesday’s Game 2 on the road in D.C.
As the clock wound down and the final buzzer sounded, Reese and teammate Allisha Gray, who led the scoring with 22 points, were filmed waving goodbye to their opponents.
But their teammate DeWanna Bonner, 39 and a 17-year WNBA veteran, seemingly did not approve of their taunts.
She was filmed discreetly dragging down their hands back by their sides, as Reese shrugged her shoulders.
Angel Reese and teammate Allisha Gray waved goodbye to their WNBA Playoff opponents
Veteran teammate DeWanna Bonner reached in and discreetly pulled Reese’s hands down
Reese was slammed for taunting the Mystics as their season came to an end, with one fan writing: ‘So mean. Have some class.’
Another said Reese ‘has no class. But we already knew that’ as a further reply noted: ‘The fact it takes an adult to tell another adult how to be respectful.’
‘Not a very good look,’ read one reply. ‘Just when I thought Angel was going through a good maturity process from the Fiba tournament. Smh.’
Another wrote: ‘That shows someone who has ‘class’ teaching the ‘classless”, while others added: ‘This is classless don’t wave bye.’
Bonner was praised for her response with the ESPN account posting the clip calling it ‘vet leadership’ as a fan added: ‘Great Leadership and sportsmanship!!!!!! Way the go DeWanna!!!!’.
Others said Bonner, who joined the team in August after the Phoenix Mercury were eliminated from playoff contention, is just what is needed for a deep playoff run.
‘Veteran leadership,’ one fan wrote. ‘That’s all they needed, adding her only made them better on the court and times like this.’
Reese spoke after the game about them advancing to the next round, praising the attitude of the entire team.
Reese shrugged as she walked away with Bonner holding her hands down by her side
The Dream won the first two games of the three-game series in a sweep over the Mystics
Reese and her teammates will now face the New York Liberty in the semifinals of the playoffs
‘Our memo was to manage emotions better and value possessions more, and that’s what we did the entire time. We’ve stayed dialed in all year,’ Reese said. ‘I think the team came together tonight and the best team came out on top.’
Head coach Karl Smesko added: ‘All we cared about was winning and advancing, and everyone did their part.’
The New York Liberty await in the next round after they upset the No.1 seed Minnesota Lynx in the first round.
