{"id":11370,"date":"2026-07-20T08:52:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:52:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11370"},"modified":"2026-07-20T08:52:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T03:52:45","slug":"angel-reese-calls-out-coach-following-viral-wnba-incident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=11370","title":{"rendered":"Angel Reese Calls Out Coach Following Viral WNBA Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div itemprop=\"articleBody\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What started as frustration with the officiating quickly turned into one of the biggest conversations across the <a href=\"https:\/\/bossip.com\/4565054\/wnba-signature-shoes-sneaker-culture\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WNBA<\/a> this weekend.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?w=1024&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80\" alt=\"Los Angeles Sparks v Atlanta Dream\" class=\"wp-image-4604543\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?strip=all&amp;quality=80 1024w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 300w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 768w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=180%2C120&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 180w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=150%2C100&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 150w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=75%2C50&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 75w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=720%2C480&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 720w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=900%2C600&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 900w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=450%2C300&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 450w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=600%2C400&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 600w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=250%2C167&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 250w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=220%2C147&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 220w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=245%2C163&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 245w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=129%2C86&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 129w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=144%2C96&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 144w, https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?resize=50%2C33&amp;strip=all&amp;quality=80 50w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Source: Todd Kirkland \/ Getty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello is under fire after a hot mic caught her referring to Atlanta Dream star <a href=\"https:\/\/bossip.com\/4543889\/angel-reese-traded-from-chicago-sky-to-the-atlanta-dream\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Angel Reese<\/a> as a \u201cprotected species\u201d during Friday night\u2019s game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Late in the game, Reese collided with Toronto\u2019s Nyara Sabally on a play under the basket. Sabally hit the floor clutching her ribs and was eventually helped off the court with what was later revealed to be a rib injury. While officials sorted out the sequence, Brondello, visibly upset with the whistle, was caught on the broadcast yelling toward the referees, \u201cAngel, she\u2019s a protected species!\u201d The hot mic moment spread across social media almost instantly and sparked immediate backlash.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many fans felt the wording crossed a line, especially considering Reese is one of the league\u2019s most recognizable stars. One user on X wrote, \u201cCalling a Black woman a species\u2026\u201d Reese saw the post and wasted no time responding. She quote tweeted it with, \u201cARE WE SURPRISED?! @SBrondello \ud83e\udd21\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the conversation gained momentum, others stepped in to provide context. Brondello, who is Australian, has since been defended by some fans who pointed out that \u201cprotected species\u201d is a common phrase in Australian sports used to describe athletes who appear to receive favorable treatment from officials. In that context, the expression is meant to criticize officiating rather than insult a player personally.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"\/>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Still, many argued that intent does not erase impact. In America, referring to any person, especially a Black woman, as a \u201cspecies\u201d carries a much different weight. Whether Brondello meant it that way or not, the phrase landed differently with American audiences, and social media made that crystal clear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Recognizing the backlash, Brondello issued a public apology Saturday, taking accountability for her choice of words.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAngel, I\u2019m sorry,\u201d Brondello began. \u201cLast night, in the emotion of the moment after Nyara\u2019s injury, I used a phrase that I shouldn\u2019t have used, and I take full responsibility for that. My frustration was with the officiating, but my words unfairly put the focus on you.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She continued,<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI also understand that my words carried an impact beyond what I intended, particularly for Black women in our league, and I\u2019m deeply sorry for that. I\u2019ve spent my career competing with, coaching and learning from incredible Black women. I regret that my words caused hurt to a community I respect so deeply. I have a lot of respect for you as both a player and a person, and I sincerely apologize to you, your teammates, and the Dream organization for my comment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The apology did not stop the league from taking action. Shortly afterward, the WNBA announced Brondello had been suspended one game without pay for the incident.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe WNBA expects all coaches and team personnel to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect that are fundamental to our league,\u201d the league said in a statement announcing the discipline.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As for Reese and the Dream, there is little time to dwell on the controversy. Atlanta returns to the floor today for a matchup against Reese\u2019s former team, the Chicago Sky, with tipoff set for 4 p.m. ET. The Dream currently sit at No. 6 in the WNBA standings and will be looking to keep their momentum going while the conversation surrounding Friday night\u2019s incident continues off the court.<\/p>\n<aside id=\"ione-ve-expanded\" class=\"ione-ve\">\n<\/aside><\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What started as frustration with the officiating quickly turned into one of the biggest conversations across the WNBA this weekend. Source: Todd Kirkland \/ Getty Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello is under fire after a hot mic caught her referring to Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese as a \u201cprotected species\u201d during Friday night\u2019s game&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/bossip.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/28\/2026\/07\/17844967548481.jpg?quality=80&strip=all&crop=0px%2C25px%2C1024px%2C585px&resize=1680%2C960","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-celebrity-gossip"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}