Posted in Sports

Has WNBA issued $80 fine to Bria Hartley for pulling Angel Reese’s hair? Viral claim debunked

Posted on
by Joelgalvan


Connecticut Sun guard Bria Hartley pulled Chicago Sky star Angel Reese’s hair in the third quarter of Sunday’s game between the two teams. The foul prompted Reese to react, flailing her arms first before staring down at the Sun’s starting point guard. Connecticut forwards Olivia Nelson-Ododa and Tina Charles defended their teammate and confronted the Chi Barbie.

After the game, NBA Centel, a parody account on X (formerly Twitter), jumped in on the controversy by writing:

“The WNBA has issued an $80.50 fine to Bria Hartley for intentionally pulling Angel Reese’s hair, before tax.”

After review, the referees gave a technical foul to both Charles and Reese, who heatedly argued while teammates and officials separated them. Hartley got away with a loose ball foul. A personal foul does not merit a penalty or a fine, making NBA Centel’s post a hilarious attempt to troll the incident.

The play happened after Kamilla Cardoso, guarded by Nelson-Ododa, muffed a 3-foot banked shot. Reese went for the offensive rebound against former Chicago Sky teammate Marina Mabrey. While the All-Star forward tried to grab control of the ball, Hartley slapped the ball with her right hand but pulled Reese’s hair with her left.

After a brief lull, the game continued without further incident. Reese had five points, two assists and one steal in the third quarter. She helped the Chicago Sky take a 59-54 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, Bria Hartley ran the Sun offense and contributed an assist to Tina Charles. Connecticut kept the game close but struggled to get rhythm because of turnovers.

Fans react to Bria Hartley pulling Angel Reese’s hair

The controversial hair-pulling stunt Bria Hartley did against Angel Reese quickly went viral. Fans promptly reacted to the bizarre foul from Hartley that led to a heated argument between Reese and Tina Charles.

Dang they tryna bully Angel Reese now. That look like it was on purpose

One fan said:

I’m a Reese fan but She be doing to much.

Another fan added:

This is nothing compared to what happens to Caitlin Clark every game.

One more fan continued:

I like this woman less everyday

Another fan reacted:

Hold me back, hold me back 🤣🤣🤣🤣

Angel Reese finished the game with her first career triple-double. She put up 11 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists, three steals and two blocks. Bria Hartley struggled, finishing the game with six points behind 3-for-10 shooting, including 0-for-3 from deep.

The Sun and the Sky will meet again in mid-August. Although the two teams are at the bottom of the standings, their next game could be more anticipated following the Hartley-Reese incident.