LSU's Angel Reese rejects Jill Biden's apology, saying her team could 'go to the Obamas' instead

• LSU star Angel Reese isn't accepting Jill Biden's apology for suggesting Iowa's women's basketball team should also come to the White House.
• Instead, Reese suggested she and the NCAA champion Tigers should "go to the Obamas" instead.

LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese said she doesn't accept First Lady Jill Biden's apology for suggesting the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team should get to visit the White House too, even though Iowa lost to her Tigers in the championship game.

"I'm not going to lie to you, I'm not going to accept the apology," Reese told Paper Route's I Am Athlete podcast on Wednesday. "You can't go back on certain things you say."

Reese added that instead of going to the Biden White House to celebrate their win, she and her teammates could "go to the Obamas" instead.

She continued: "I mean, like, you felt like they should have came because of sportsmanship, right? They can have their spotlight, we'll go to the Obamas. Imma see Michelle. Imma see Barack."

Reese added that the First Lady was supposed to visit LSU's locker room before the game, but they turned her down, because President Joe Biden "had put somebody else to win the national championship."

"He didn't even put us on his bracket," she noted.

Biden watched Sunday night's game from a box as Kim Mulkey's Tigers took down Caitlin Clark and the Hawkeyes 102-85 to win their program's first-ever national title. Following the game, Biden told ESPN she wanted to invite Iowa to the White House to celebrate the game and the Tigers' win.

"I know we'll have the champions come to the White House; we always do. So, we hope LSU will come," Biden said during a speaking engagement at the Colorado State Capitol in Denver on Monday, per ESPN. "But, you know, I'm going to tell Joe I think Iowa should come too, because they played such a good game."

Reese then shared Biden's comments, calling them "A JOKE." Critics pounced on Biden's comments, suggesting there was a double standard and noting that the Tigers are a mostly Black team while Iowa's players are primarily white.

By Tuesday morning, Biden's press secretary walked back the First Lady's invite.

"Her comments in Colorado were intended to applaud the historic game and all women athletes. She looks forward to celebrating the LSU Tigers on their championship win at the White House," Vanessa Valdivia said.