Angel Reese Responds to Brondello's Apology, Tempo HC's WNBA Suspension After Remarks on Dream Star

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese says she is "grateful" to the WNBA for suspending Toronto Tempo head coach Sandy Brondello for making comments about Reese to officials during a recent game.

"I appreciate Sandy's apology, but I also appreciate the love and support that I've had for the last 48 hours," Reese said Sunday. "It has been very overwhelming, a lot of love and also other things. But I am grateful that the league did take action."

Reese continued, "There is no place for discrimination or hate in this league from anyone, from fans to coaches to players. And I'm just grateful that we are able to move on from the situation and just play winning basketball. The WNBA is supposed to be positive and we are going in a great light right now, so I just want to continue that and move forward."

Brondello said Sunday she reached out to Reese "immediately" after Friday's game between the Dream and Tempo, per TSN's Chelsea Leite.

"I made a comment that Australians, we say all the time, and unfortunately I should have took a breath and realized where I am," Brondello said.

The WNBA originally announced Friday Bondello had been suspended for one game without pay "for an inappropriate comment she made regarding Angel Reese."

"The WNBA expects all coaches and team personnel to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and respect that are fundamental to our league," the WNBA said in a statement.

The suspension was issued after microphones caught Brondello referring to Reese "with a phrase that sounded like 'protected species'" during the Dream's 111-92 win in Toronto, per ESPN's Kareem Copeland.

Reese and Brondello each addressed the incident in posts on social media, where Reese called out Brondello before the Tempo coach issued an apology.

Both in her social media post and in her Sunday interview, Brondello said the incident took place when she was emotional due to a rib injury suffered by Tempo forward Nyara Sabally when trying to guard Reese in the fourth quarter.

Brondello said Sunday she has reached out multiple times to the Dream and is interested in apologizing directly to Reese if given the opportunity.

Dream coach Karl Smesko confirmed Sunday he thought Brondello had "talked to somebody in the organization" but that conversations with Reese would be kept private for now, per Andscape's Wilton C. Jackson II.

Brondello spent eight seasons with the Phoenix Mercury and four with the New York Liberty before joining Toronto ahead of the franchise's inaugural season. She will serve her suspension Monday when the Tempo host the Las Vegas Aces.