When Angel Reese arrived in Chicago for the WNBA All-Star Weekend, she had to wait inside the plane before getting off longer than she expected. That’s when the All-Star Game reserve player tried to play her VIP card, but when she found out the reason for the delay was former President of the United States Barack Obama, she waited it out. When Reese narrated the incident to the media, fans could help but react.
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Speaking at the All-Star Weekend media availability, Reese shared how the hilarious situation unfolded. “It’s so funny because my plane was landing yesterday. And he was right next to my plane too,” Reese told reporters.
“And they were like, ‘VIP. Nobody can get off the plane. And I’m like, ‘Well, we VIP too.’ And they said, ‘Obama.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, okay, okay.'”
The story quickly gained traction online and drew a wide variety of reactions from fans.
“‘We VIP too.’ 😂 like what made her think that in that moment?” one fan wrote. Another fan who seemed to be asking with a straight face also said, “So when does a WNBA star actually outrank a former president on a plane?”
Some fans, however, used the moment to take a more pointed swipe at Reese’s on-court performances. “Former two-term president or professional basketball player that makes 1/4 of her layups if she’s lucky. Yeah, I can see where the confusion over who’s MVP lies,” one sarcastic fan wrote.
Others went even further, drawing a parallel between this moment and a now-famous comment Reese made during her rookie WNBA season, when she asserted that Caitlin Clark was not the only reason attention was flowing into the league. “You know she thought they were talking about Caitlin Clark, that’s why the ‘Me Too,'” one fan said.
Another, echoing the sentiment, wrote, “The reason why we can’t get off the plane isn’t just because of one person. It’s because of me, too.”
Regardless of the online reactions, the airport mix-up ultimately culminated in a genuinely wholesome interaction later that day. The WNBA All-Stars practiced at the newly opened court at the Obama Presidential Center, which Obama visited in person.
The former president had memorable moments with all the players, including Caitlin Clark, Marina Mabrey, reigning WNBA MVP A’ja Wilson, Rookie of the Year contender Olivia Miles and, of course, Angel Reese. “All of you are extraordinary, and I could not be a bigger fan,” the former POTUS told the players.