All it took was one Instagram story for an NBA playoff game to spiral into full-blown social media drama. Ever since the playoffs tipped off, fans have been glued to the intensity on the court – be it the clutch shots, nasty dunks, or heated battles every night. But somewhere between the Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons series, the conversation suddenly shifted away from basketball and straight into Angel Reese’s personal life.
The Atlanta Dream forward found herself trending after she reposted a clip of Wendell Carter Jr. dunking over Jalen Duren during Game 1 of the playoff series. Normally, that would have just been another highlight making the rounds online. But fans immediately started reading between the lines since Carter Jr. is Reese’s current boyfriend, while Duren has long been rumored to be her ex. That quickly turned into one of the internet’s favorite side stories of the playoffs, so much so that now even Sophie Cunningham has weighed in on the situation.
Speaking on a recent episode of her Show Me Something podcast, Cunningham admitted she felt there had to be more behind Reese reposting that clip. “Something had to have happened for her to want to embarrass him in some way,” she said after finding out Angel Reese posted a clip of her rumored ex getting dunked on by her boyfriend. However, her co-host, West Wilson, was not fully convinced that there was any hidden meaning and pushed back immediately. “Or nothing happened!” he said.
“Valid… then move on. Worry about the current boyfriend,” Cunningham reacted.
Rumors linking Reese and Duren first surfaced during the summer of 2024 after the pair shared videos from what appeared to be the same vacation destination. Was that just a coincidence? Maybe or maybe not! What we know is that neither of them ever publicly confirmed a relationship despite all the speculation.
Still, that’s the reason why her post exploded the way it did during the playoffs. It seemed like a subtle jab at Duren in the middle of a nationally watched series. Even Wilson joked during the podcast that all the viral attention may have started affecting the Pistons’ big man mentally once the internet ran wild with the narrative.
“He’s in his head,” he said.
And statistically? There was at least some drop-off. Duren averaged 19.5 points during the regular season, but that number fell to 10.6 points across Detroit’s playoff run. Still, the Pistons ultimately had the last laugh after storming back from a 3-1 deficit to eliminate Orlando in seven games and advance to the semifinals.
Even then, while the internet kept debating whether she was throwing subtle shade at Duren or not, her relationship with Carter Jr. just continues to bloom.
Wendell Carter Jr. & Angel Reese’s Romance Is No Longer a Secret
After months of speculation linking Carter and Reese together, the Magic center had addressed the rumors a few months ago. Though it was vague, it was still more than enough.
During an appearance on FanDuel TV’s Run It Back. Carter Jr. tried keeping things subtle at first, but eventually gave fans the confirmation they had been waiting for.
“That’s the homie for sure,” he said with a smile. “We locked in. Y’all gonna find out when y’all need to find out. We’ll just leave it at that. That’s my girl, though. We locked in for sure.”
But did the fans even need the public acknowledgment to figure it out? Maybe not, because they connected the dots way long before Carter confirmed anything. The buzz first picked up back in May when Carter attended Reese’s 23rd birthday celebration. Then a few months later, he showed up at the WNBA All-Star Game wearing a shirt featuring Angel Reese’s photo.
Matching his energy, the Dream star also spent plenty of time around Orlando throughout the WNBA offseason by frequently appearing courtside at Magic games. And if that was not enough, then came a gesture by Carter’s that made it very obvious.
During Orlando’s matchup against the Miami Heat in December, the Magic big man stepped onto the court wearing her signature Angel Reese 1 sneakers in the “Receipts Ready” colorway. That moment pretty much erased whatever mystery was left around the relationship, and the two have slowly become one of basketball’s most talked-about couples.
