Why did Kim Mulkey bench Angel Reese? LSU players' recent drama around alleged suspension explored

The LSU Tigers won another game without star Angel Reese, and the rumors around her alleged suspension only grew more intense with the reports of off-court unrest gripping the basketball star.

Reese has not dressed for two consecutive games after being benched for the entire second half against Kent State on Nov. 14. She did not travel with the team for a 73-50 win on Friday at Southeastern Louisiana, and she did not dress for Monday’s 106-47 win over Texas Southern.

LSU coach Kim Mulkey has refused to provide an explanation for the star’s absence, providing her trademark sparky bite when asked about Reese’s status.

“If I have, I wouldn’t tell you,” Mulkey said on Monday. “You’re not entitled to that information. So, I’ll say it again. Angel was not in uniform tonight. Angel is a part of this basketball team. Angel will be back sooner rather than later.”

After the win over SLU, Mulkey had a similar succinct response in her postgame news conference.

“Angel was not in uniform,” Mulkey said. “Angel is a part of this basketball team, and we hope to see her sooner rather than later.”

Why was Angel Reese benched?

The absence of a star like Angel Reese, who helped No. 7 LSU (5-1) to its first national championship last season, has been shocking. But there have been no reasons given for the situation by the program.

Reese’s absence has sparked a beef between mothers, however. Reese's mom, Angel Reese Webb, and teammate Flau'jae Johnson's mom, Kia Brooks, traded accusations over their daughters on social media. Brooks insinuated that Reese had a poor GPA, which led to her suspension, fueling the reports of her absence stemming from her grades.

Popular sports personality Stephen A. Smith addressed the issue of Reese's issues in his most recent appearance on the "Stephen A. Smith Show."

"What we've received an indication about right now is that something may have changed in you," Smith said.

"Again, if it happened, it's not a crime but it's a lesson to be learned here. Be careful what you wish for. Be careful what you seek prematurely. Be careful of others' influence coming along and being a distraction from what you're aiming to achieve."

What has Angel Reese said about being benched?

Angel Reese is renowned for being outspoken, especially when it comes to the slew of haters who have flocked to her since she led the LSU Tigers to the national championship.

After LSU beat Southeastern Louisiana without her, Reese put out a simple message on X.

“Please don’t believe everything you read,” Reese wrote.

She also reposted a clip on Instagram of Colorado Buffaloes coach Deion Sander's powerful speech towards the haters earlier in his tenure, where the charismatic coach says:

"Look at me," Sanders said in the video. "What about me would make you think that I care about your opinion of me? Your opinion of me is not the opinion that I have of myself. You ain’t make me, so you can’t break me. You didn't build me, so you can't kill me."

It will be interesting to observe whether Reese will appear in the game against Niagara on Black Friday.