Sheryl Swoopes Says Angel Reese Well Within Her Rights To Reject Conversation With Sandy Brondello

WNBA legend Sheryl Swoopes voiced support for Angel Reese after the controversial incident involving Sandy Brondello on Friday. The Toronto Tempo coach directed inappropriate comments at the Atlanta Dream forward and was suspended for one game without pay.

Brondello apologized to Reese online and even tried reaching out to her. However, Reese declined to speak to the veteran coach. On Tuesday, Swoopes discussed the issue at length on The Women’s Hoops podcast hosted by Jordan Robinson. She schooled Brondello about using Australian colloquialisms in the US, especially in a predominantly Black athlete-led league.

“At the end of the day, you’re not in Australia,” Swoopes said. “You’re the head coach of a team in a league of predominantly black women. So, you have to be very mindful of your position. I don’t care where you’re from; you can’t say things like that.”

Swoopes said it doesn’t matter if it was said in the heat of the moment; given the racial abuses hurled at Reese and several other black players lately, Brondello shouldn’t have used the term she did, directed at the Dream star. Swoopes then backed Reese for refusing to talk with Brondello, saying:

“I’m not mad at Angel for not wanting to talk to her when she reached out, right. … If Angel chooses to never talk to her that’s her right because you absolutely made her feel some type of way.”

Sandy Brondello said she didn’t have control over her emotions after she saw Tempo forward Nyara Sabally go down with a rib injury after Angel Reese made contact with her. The referees awarded the Dream the whistle, and Reese took a trip to the foul line.

Several fans argued that Brondello merely used an Australian term, but others said it was unacceptable to make that remark against a Black athlete in the US.

Becky Hammon Showed Support For Sandy Brondello Over The Angel Reese Controversy

Las Vegas Aces coach Becky Hammon showed support for Sandy Brondello following her suspension. Brondello served it against Hammon’s Aces on Monday.

“I mean, I just gave her [Sandy] a big hug when I saw her,” Hammon told reporters before the game. “I know that’s not where her heart is; I know her as a very, very high-quality person. Someone who’s filled with a lot of love for everyone.”

Hammon and Brondello squared off in consecutive finals, but that rivalry didn’t impact their dynamic.

The Tempo lost the game in Brondello’s absence, 109-83. Meanwhile, Sabally, whose injury caused Brondello’s outrage at Reese, was out due to a rib injury. Tempo assistant and Brondello’s husband, Olaf Lange, said that Sabally was day-to-day. He shared that the rib injury led to the forward needing a back realignment, which she couldn’t get done due to the pain.

Read more:

• “I Am Not the Enforcer, I Am Not a Bodyguard”: Sophie Cunningham Rejects Labels After Gaining Fame For Protecting Caitlin Clark
• “Selective Outrage As Usual”: WNBA Podcaster Calls Out WNBPA Over Angel Reese’s NBA 2K Home Screen Gesture