Angel Reese Criticizes WNBA Officiating After Game 5 Loss

Atlanta Dream player Angel Reese has publicly criticized the officiating in Game 5 of the WNBA Finals, following her team's 64-55 loss to the Golden State Valkyries on Monday evening. The defeat puts the Dream one game away from another championship series loss.

Reese and her coach, Karl Smesko, expressed dissatisfaction with calls made during the game, suggesting the officiating favored the Valkyries. The controversy includes an incident in the first quarter where Reese made contact with Valkyries player Kayla Thornton's face with her elbow while attempting a post move. A common foul was assessed, but some fans and observers argued the play warranted a flagrant foul or review.

"Unbelievable. Angel Reese uses her elbow to viciously strike the defender in the face. Refs don't even review! The broadcast calls it 'inadvertent' lol What's going on with these WNBA refs??" one user posted on X, formerly Twitter. Another commenter stated, "That should have been a flagrant foul on Angel Reese or a review at the LEAST. She can throw an elbow straight into Kayla Thornton's face and we get no look at the call?"

Following the game, Reese commented on the officiating, particularly concerning the foul called against her. "When I do a switch on the post and I'm a lot stronger than the opponent, I should be able to turn," Reese said. "And they're calling an offensive foul but... I'm getting pushed before that. So that's frustrating for sure."

Reese also suggested a shift in officiating occurred during the series. "I don't know what happened, but it definitely took a big turn," she added, referring to the period after the Dream took a 2-1 series lead.

Coach Karl Smesko echoed Reese's sentiments, telling reporters, "The contact on Angel compared to everybody else is just ridiculous."

The Golden State Valkyries are now one win away from securing the championship in only their second season of existence. The series returns to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday afternoon. The game's start time was controversially rescheduled to 12:30 p.m. ET.