‘Courtside baddies’ – Coco Gauff watches on as Angel Reese makes Unrivaled history after ejection
Coco Gauff watched Angel Reese make history on Saturday night, but not in the way she had hoped.
As the guest of honor between the Rose and Laces, Gauff took her role as an investor in the start-up women’s basketball league, Unrivaled, to the next level. The inaugural season of the league has already proven to be a success, shaking up the sport in a big way.
Gauff, who’s no stranger to breaking records on the tennis court, was eager to see how things played out, especially with high-profile player Angel Reese on the floor. However, Reese’s night got off to a rough start, as she failed to score in the first quarter and went 0 for 2 from the field.
Reese began to find her rhythm in the second quarter, scoring six points and grabbing 11 rebounds, but her game came to an abrupt end. The 22-year-old forward became the first player in Unrivaled’s history to be ejected for two technical fouls in quick succession.
The foul came after Reese was called for a hit on Tiffany Hayes while her team, the Rose, was leading the Laces by eight points. Reese’s dismissive gesture toward Hayes and her protests to the officials resulted in another technical foul, sending her to the bench.
Unhappy with the call, Reese took to X (formerly Twitter) to post a simple “sayless” in reaction to her ejection.
This was only Reese’s second ejection in her career, with her first coming during her rookie season in a game against the New York Liberty. Fortunately for Reese, her teammates stepped up and secured the win without her, allowing her to joke about her place in history.
She later posted: “Y’all know I had to be the first,” and “Can’t wait to get back to Chicago, man,” acknowledging her new spot in the history books.
Despite the early exit, Reese was seen smiling courtside with Gauff, who shared a picture of the two of them relaxing and watching the game. “Courtside baddies,” Gauff captioned the Instagram post, with Reese replying, “The QUEEN.”
Gauff, who has invested significantly in Unrivaled, also spent time with fellow players Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart.
The Rose went on to win the game 83-69, improving their record to 2-4, with eight games remaining before the season wraps up next month.
