Sophie Cunningham Calls Out Angel Reese for 'Dangerous' Plays in Dream Game

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese got in New York Liberty guard Sabrina Ionescu's ear after Ionescu set a hard screen on Reese's teammate during their WNBA Semifinals series. Neither player was called for a technical.

A short while later, Reese and Liberty center Jonquel Jones had a verbal altercation under the basket after Jones blocked Reese's shot. Both players received a technical foul for this.

Sophie Cunningham and her "No Hesitation" podcast co-host Drew Hanlen discussed Reese's actions on these plays, plus several others in that game, during an episode that was released on Thursday.

After saying that the illegal screen that Ionescu set was "fun for our game" because it shows the toughness the league plays with, Cunningham said, "Angel, I appreciate her having her teammate's back. I mean, that just shows she cares and loves her teammates. Here's my thing: If you're going to chase someone down the court and get in someone's ear, that should be a technical... The fact she didn't get a tech on that is absolutely insane."

Cunningham then said that she wished neither Reese nor Jones had received a technical in the ensuing altercation, because she thought that was good playoff basketball.

Then Cunningham and Hanlen spoke about a later possession where Reese bumped Breanna Stewart to the ground after a play ended. Then came another play where Reese dove at Ionescu's legs to grab a loose ball, none of which were called.

"I'm going to give her credit... Angel is going to play hard. She is a player who goes after the ball... but you can't tackle someone in the air, and then go for someone's knees and ankles. Like, that's a dangerous play. Technically, both of those are a little dangerous. And for those to just go uncalled, is that not weird? Am I missing something?" Cunningham said.

Sophie Cunningham's Angel Reese Criticism Also Comes With Praise

To be fair, Cunningham wasn't criticizing Reese as a player directly or saying that she is dangerous generally. She was specifically noting that she was doing dangerous things in those plays.

Cunningham doesn't have a good history with players diving at another player's legs, as that happened to her legs last August, which forced her to miss the rest of the Fever's season with a knee injury.

In other words, what Reese did hit home for Cunningham. But she was still being objective and made sure to praise Reese for having her teammates' backs, which is something Cunningham always makes sure to do.