Are bad grades going to stop NCAA champion Angel Reese from making it to the WNBA?

Since transferring to Louisiana State University in May 2022, Angel Reese has secured her status as the premier women's college basketball player.

Last season, Reese was the catalyst in helping LSU win their first National Championship trophy, posting 15 points, ten rebounds, and five assists and securing the Most Outstanding Player award.

Reese led the NCAA Division One in total and offensive rebounds per game. Her 240 free throws marked an SEC record, and she scored 830 points, the third most in LSU history.

As a junior, she averaged 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game, earning unanimous First-Team All-American honors from the AP and the USBWA.

Her sensational season last time out has earned her the first Reebok deal under the new guidance of Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson.

According to apnews.com, former LSU basketball star and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal said: "There is no one making a bigger impact on the game right now than Angel Reese."

Reese has started this season like she did the last, averaging 17 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists through four games, but her season may be done already!

The LSU Tigers star has allegedly been suspended from the program, but her coach, Kim Mulkey, has refused to say why her star player has been absent.

The LSU coach made Reese sit out of their most recent game against Southeastern Louisiana just three days after she was benched in the second half versus Kent State.

Why is this? Speculation surrounding Reese's absence from the team reached boiling point after Reese's mother got into it with teammate Flau'jae Johnson's mother on social media.

According to complex.com, Johnson's mother said: "You definitely know about grammar errors when your daughter got a 2.0 or less GPA." Her tweet suggests that Reese has been suspended for not making the bar in her classes.

Her failure to make the bar in class could affect her eligibility for the season and her professional career after LSU. However, Stephen A Smith believes her NIL deals could have negatively changed her attitude.

According to ESPN, Reese made around $1.4 million in brand deals last season, enough money to shift someone's focus away from the basketball court and focus more on their celebrity.

According to ESPN on YouTube, Smith said: "An awful lot has come her way. Lots of attention, millions of dollars, NIL deals, and a deal with Reebok. She's just finished joking that if she went to the WNBA, she would get a pay cut."

"If you aren't the same person, the first person who is going to pick up on that is your coach. They are going to be all over it and say your head has got too big, and that's what I think is the problem."

There is no doubt Angel Reese has the talent to become a professional star, but too much money at a young age can affect several things, with grades (potentially) and a player's attitude being the main ones.