WNBA star Angel Reese has been brutally trolled on social media after her claim that she couldn’t play with black dolls as a child was exposed by fans.
The backlash comes after Reese received her own Mattel Barbie doll in her Atlanta Dream uniform – wearing her No. 5 jersey – and a matching signature shoe edition.
Ahead of the Dream’s game on Tuesday night, Reese discussed the collaboration – claiming she never had a chance to play with dolls that had black skin tones.
‘Honestly, I didn’t have a lot of dolls because I didn’t have dolls that really looked like me much,’ Reese said when asked what dolls she played with growing up.
‘That’s why I kind of really wanted to make sure this was super intentional, because now that they have a doll that looks like you, nails and hair, but also you can be a killer on the court as well.’
However, social media users were quick to disprove Reese’s claims as they listed the actual history of Mattel’s Barbie toys throughout the years.
WNBA star Angel Reese has been brutally trolled on social media after her claim that she couldn’t play with black dolls as a child was exposed by fans
The backlash comes after Reese had her own Barbie doll released by Mattel last month
Users noted that Mattel introduced a doll named ‘Christie’ – a black character in Barbie’s World in 1968.
Meanwhile, the first doll officially named Black Barbie was produced in 1980, over two decades before Reese was born.
Furthermore, in 1998, Mattel sold officially licensed African-American NBA Barbie dolls, who were dressed in team jersey and packaged with basketballs.
Adding to Reese’s embarrassment, fans referred to a post on X which Reese had made less than a week prior to claiming she ‘didn’t have a lot of dolls’.
Sharing an interview she did with Cosmopolitan, Reese wrote: ‘Thank you @cosmopolitan for allowing me to express this full circle moment! From playing with Barbie dolls as a little girl to having my own-wearing my signature Reebok shoes.’
The embarrassing saga comes shortly after Reese was brutally mocked by fans for her performance in the WNBA All-Star game last month.
During a sequence midway through the exhibition game at the United Center in Chicago, Reese – playing for Team Coop – was given a free run at a lay-up.
Fans pointed out how Reese had claimed she was ‘playing with Barbie dolls as a little girl’
Fans were quick to note that Mattel have produced a number of Barbie’s with black skin tones
However, the Chicago Sky forward blew the opportunity after getting denied by four-time MVP A’ja Wilson – despite the latter trying to get out of the way.
Afterwards, Wilson admitted that she had tried to give Reese the opportunity to score but still, somehow, managed to block it.
After the game, she said: ‘I was trying to get out of the way. I do not like to block shots during All-Star games. I’ve never had that happen to me, and I’m so sorry.’
Despite her post-game comments, the miss prompted an immediate reaction from rival Wilson, who couldn’t hold back her laughter right on the court.
