Angel Reese had a very mature response to Alyssa Thomas’ dirty foul on her that led to an ejection

Angel Reese knows what comes with being a rookie.

After being drafted by the Chicago Sky last month, Angel Reese said part of her decision to go pro had to do with a desire to start over as a rookie again: “I want to be knocked down by vets, and I want to be able to get up and grow.”

Well, she got her first taste of a vet knocking her down Saturday, in the third quarter of Chicago’s game against the undefeated Connecticut Sun. And it came courtesy of last year’s MVP runner-up Alyssa Thomas, who pulled Reese to the ground with an arm on her neck as Reese went for an offensive rebound.

Thomas received a flagrant-2 penalty and ejection for the hard foul.

However, while much of the internet was up in arms about the dirty play, Reese’s response was mature beyond her years. The 22-year-old actually thanked Thomas in her postgame presser.

“Thank you AT for sending a message to me, because I got back up and I kept going and kept pushing,” said Reese, who said she’s been cool with the 32-year-old Thomas since college, when she played for Thomas’ alma mater Maryland before transferring to LSU.

Reese doubled down on X (formerly Twitter) later in the night, letting everyone know she was fine. “It’s just basketball,” she tweeted.

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