Former LSU teammates Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson hit the spotlight after the Atlanta Dream star snubbed the Seattle Storm rookie’s sign of respect. Johnson led the Storm to a shocking 105-90 win, handing Atlanta its third consecutive loss.
The Dream were overwhelming favorites, as their on-paper talent, season goals, and record were in stark contrast to the Storm, who are barreling toward the bottom of the standings amid a rebuild. The Storm were up 103-89 when Kark Smesko pulled Reese and the starters out. As she headed to the bench, Johnson reached out for a handshake, but the Dream star wasn’t interested.
The moment also saw ESPN, one of the WNBA’s national broadcasters, post about the incident online.
It quickly became a controversial talking point as fans dished their takes on the duo’s relationship. Reese and Johnson, despite their successful run as teammates at LSU, had a fractured dynamic. Internal issues and an ugly public spat between their mothers were among the factors behind their problems.
On Jun. 9, 2025, appearing on The Breakfast Club, Johnson admitted she wasn’t friends with Reese.
“We’re not friends.” Johnson said. “But I mean, like, that bond that we had, and that thing we did together, win the national championship, you can never take that away from us.”
One fan cited the LSU controversy, saying:
“That beef at LSU might’ve been something serious …”
More reactions followed:
Along with a blowout win, Flau’jae Johnson also came away with multiple highlight reels over Angel Reese
Round one of the first duel between Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson went to the rookie. If there were any doubts left after a 15-point win, Johnson’s highlight reel against Reese would clear all of them. The Storm guard also trash-talked her former teammate after faking her on a drive to the basket.
Johnson also hit a step-back three-pointer over Reese, which made it to the Storm’s X.
Johnson finished with just her second 20-point game of the season, tallying 24 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals. She shot 9 of 12 from the field, including 2 of 3 from deep. Meanwhile, Reese scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds and made two steals. She shot 4 of 10 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free-throw line.
Read more:
- Flau’jae Johnson Shares Emotional Moment With Breanna Stewart After Helping Storm Snap Historic 11-Game Slide
- “Angel Reese Made Caitlin Clark Popular”: Ex-FS1 Employee Tanya Ray Makes Bold Claim After Fan Says Dream Star Alone Would Have Elevated WNBA
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