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ANGEL Reese insisted “leave me out of this” after Team USA won Olympic gold without her or Caitlin Clark on Sunday.
A star-studded squad led by A’Ja Wilson edged past hosts France 67-66 to claim gold in Paris.
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As soon as Cheryl Reeve’s team triumphed, speculation immediately began as to who could feature for Team USA at the next Olympic Games in Los Angeles in four years.
An ESPN article theorised that the likes of Reese and Clark – as well as college stars Paige Bueckers and JuJu Watkins could all be involved.
Quoting the piece, however, Reese was not to be drawn.
Alongside an angel emoji, she wrote: “Let’s just congratulate these women & let them enjoy this moment!
“Leave me out of this until my time comes!”
Prior to the Olympics, Reese was part of a Team WNBA side that beat Team USA 117-109 in the WNBA All-Star Game.
The occasion saw Reese, 22, team up with former college rival Clark on the way to victory.
While the two have been involved in several epic battles, the Chicago Sky star enjoyed being on the same side as her Indiana Fever foe for once.
She told ESPN at the time: “It’s so cool.
“I know when she gets the ball I’m running looking for the ball because I know she’s gonna throw it. She’s been great to play with.
“In the future, we’re going to be playing with each other a lot. Hopefully, in four years we can be Olympians together.”
Reese has enjoyed a productive rookie season in the WNBA.
She memorably produced a streak of 15 consecutive double-doubles.
While she also recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds in 18 minutes during the All-Star Game.
HISTORY MAKER
This saw her become the first rookie in league history to record an All-Star Game double-double.
With the WNBA on a four-week hiatus during the Olympics, Reese headed to Europe.
She sat courtside in London as Team USA beat Germany at the 02 Arena in their final Olympics warm-up game.
And she also visited Games host Paris during her trip.
With her vacation now in the rear-view mirror, Reese is set to return to WNBA action on Thursday night.
Her Sky will host the Phoenix Mercury at Wintrust Arena – live on Amazon.
