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Valkyries troll Angel Reese during WNBA championship parade
Former Warriors centre Festus Ezeli mocked Angel Reese at the Valkyries’ championship parade, displaying a shirt that put Reese’s face on the crying Michael Jordan meme while showing her “too small” gesture. The stunt revisited a taunt Reese directed at Golden State’s bench during the Finals and came after the Valkyries beat Atlanta to win their first WNBA title.
Reese made the gesture in Game 3, when Atlanta won 97-71 to take a 2-1 series lead; Golden State then won the series in seven games at Chase Center. Gabby Williams scored 30 points in the deciding game and averaged 19 points across the Finals, while Reese averaged 14 points and 12 rebounds. The title came in the Valkyries’ second season, the quickest expansion-team championship in league history.
In short
- Festus Ezeli mocked Angel Reese with a meme shirt at the Valkyries’ parade.
- Golden State beat Atlanta in seven games to win its first WNBA title.
- The Valkyries claimed the fastest expansion-team championship in league history.
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A championship parade is a place for fans and team figures to celebrate a hard-fought victory, and playful retaliation can be seen as part of sport’s competitive banter. Reese had used the “too small” gesture during the series, so Ezeli’s shirt echoed a moment that had already become part of the rivalry rather than introducing an unrelated personal attack.
The case against
A public taunt by a former player at a team celebration can turn competitive banter into targeted ridicule, especially when it uses a rival’s face and a meme associated with humiliation. Reese’s gesture came amid a fiercely contested series, and singling her out after the Valkyries’ win risks overshadowing the teams’ achievement and inviting hostility towards an individual player.