LSU W Basketball

Former LSU women's basketball star Danielle Ballard died early Thursday morning after being struck by a car in Memphis, according WREG-TV.

Ballard, aged 29, was hit early in the morning as police responded to a pedestrian hit at Coleman Road and Raleigh-Lagrange Road a little before 1:30 a.m. CT. She was taken to Regional One Health, where she was pronounced dead.

Although the driver of the car remained on scene, it is currently an ongoing investigation, per WREG-TV. No charges have been pressed as of Thursday afternoon

A native of Memphis, Ballard was a standout at Central High School before going on to star with the Tigers in Baton Rouge.

In her final season with the program in 2014-15, she was selected by coaches as first-team All-SEC after averaging 14.5 points per game to go along with 7.2 rebounds on 40 percent shooting from the field while also being one of the best defensive players in the conference.

Her best moment came in the 2014 NCAA tournament where she balled out and helped lead LSU to the Sweet 16. She had 24 points and 17 rebounds in a first-round win over Georgia Tech and followed that up with 22 points and 10 rebounds in an upset of No. 2-seeded West Virginia.

Even in a loss against Louisville, Ballard poured in 24 points and 10 rebounds.

Ballard averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.4 steals over three seasons with the Tigers.

For the second time in the 2023 FIBA Women's AmeriCup, Brazil triumphed over LSU star Angel Reese and Team USA.

Reese was held to four points Sunday night as the Americans lost the championship game 69-58.

Team USA had the chance to tie Brazil for the most titles in tournament history with five. Brazil will now increase that record to six.

After putting up three consecutive double-doubles in her last three tournament games, Reese was held to six rebounds and two assists while going 1-for-6 from the field.

Those were similar struggles to what Reese and the rest of Team USA's offense went through when they first faced Brazil back on Tuesday, in the group stage of the tournament.

Team USA, a team of college stars usually facing older professionals from other countries, usually dominates at the AmeriCup. Against Brazil, however, the team was stunned by a 67-54 loss, the team's first defeat in the tournament since 2011. Reese was limited to three points on 1-for-4 shooting.

During the championship Sunday, Reese was stymied by similar defensive dominance from the Brazilians.

Team USA went into the second half with a two-point lead thanks to a last-second Rickea Jackson jump shot set up by Reese.

Brazil pulled ahead in the third quarter, shutting down Team USA's offense as they pulled ahead by 13 points. The Americans fought to close the gap in the final minutes but fell short as Brazil claimed the gold.

Reese, who transferred from Maryland to LSU in 2022, was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCA Tournament in April for her role in leading LSU to the team's first NCAA championship. She recorded a clutch 15-point, 10-rebound double-double in the NCAA title game.

Reese's bid for another championship will end with Sunday's silver medal, but Tigers fans who watched her multiple international double-doubles this summer can look forward to her returning to LSU for a second season next fall.

Team USA is headed to the 2023 FIBA women's AmeriCup semifinals, in large part thanks to a double-double from LSU star Angel Reese.

Reese recorded 13 points and 18 rebounds Friday as USA beat Colombia 68-49 in the tournament quarterfinals.

Her performance came one rebound shy of matching a U.S. AmeriCup record. Only Aliyah Boston, who grabbed 19 in 2021 against Puerto Rico, has recorded more rebounds in a single tournament game, according to USA Basketball Communications.

Reese showed off her tenacity on the glass right away Friday by starting out the game with a hard battle for a rebound.

Reese was busy for the rest of the night, shooting 35.7 percent from the field on a tournament-high 14 attempts in addition to going 3-of-3 from the foul line.

Since being held to just three points in a group-stage contest against Brazil July 4, Reese has rebounded in a big way.

The LSU star, who recorded a double-double in every game of the 2023 NCAA tournament, has now repeated the feat in consecutive AmeriCup contests. She also recorded 12 points and 14 rebounds in a 106-44 group-play victory over Cuba on July 5.

Before the game, Reese commented on the attention her play has drawn to the FIBA women's basketball tournament.

This will be Reese's second deep run in as many tournaments after she helped LSU to a national title in April. She will now join Team USA when the team plays the winner of a contest between Canada and Argentina in the semifinals.

LSU superstar and reigning NCAA national champion Angel Reese dropped 12 points and 14 rebounds alongside two steals in 17 minutes to help the United States defeat Cuba 106-44 in FIBA Women's AmeriCup action on Wednesday in León, Guanajuato in Mexico.

Reese dominated the paint during this outing.

She notably sliced through two defenders and hit a hook shot after a spin move to put the United States up 23-14 late in the first quarter.

Reese also hit the boards for this putback layup amid a 35-2 Team USA run that ultimately put them up 60-18 at halftime. She had six points and nine rebounds in 10 minutes at that point.

The United States continued its domination in the second half, outscoring Cuba 46-26. Reese kept excelling as well and hit this layup despite the foul.

Reese added six points and five rebounds in seven second half minutes.

With the win, the United States (3-1) secured second place in Group A behind Brazil (4-0). Team USA will now advance to the knockout stage, where it will face the third-place team from Group B on Friday. That will be either Colombia or Mexico, who will play on Wednesday evening to determine the third-place finisher.

Argentina kept it close, but Team USA held strong and won their second game in the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 65-56.

The Argentinians, who are the 30th ranked team in the world, tied it up with just under five minutes to go, but a balanced scoring attack from the top-ranked U.S. guided the team to the nine-point victory. LSU star Angel Reese only contributed five points in the win, but she put on a masterclass on the boards with a game-high 15 rebounds.

The win improves the U.S.'s tournament record to 2-0, and fans on Twitter showed their appreciation for Reese and her elite play on the glass.

The victory comes after the U.S. defeated Venezuela 80-54 in their first game of the tournament. Reese had 11 points in that matchup.

Team USA is off until July 4th when they take on Brazil at 4:40 E.T. Brazil is also 2-0, earning victories over Cuba and Venezuela.

LSU head women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey said freshman forward Sa'Myah Smith is OK after fainting during the team's visit to the White House on Friday.

According to Reuters (h/t ESPN), Smith fainted and had to be helped off the stage, but Mulkey provided a positive update a short time later, saying: "As you can see, we leave our mark where we go. Sa'Myah planned that. No, Sa'Myah is fine, for those of you who are concerned. I'll assure you of that. ... She doesn't want to leave. She wants to stand with us but she needs to be checked out."

President Joe Biden, who was on hand to meet the team, also commented, saying: "It's a lot of standing. I apologize. It's OK. It's happened lots of times."

The stream of the event temporarily cut out as medical personnel attended to Smith, but it returned shortly thereafter when Mulkey and Biden addressed the situation.

Smith, who is a 6'2" forward from DeSoto, Texas, appeared in 36 games for the national champion Tigers in her freshman season, averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.1 blocks while shooting 51.6 percent from the field.

LSU won its first-ever NCAA tournament title in women's basketball this season thanks largely to the play of Angel Reese, who was named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player.

On the season, Reese averaged 23.0 points, 15.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.6 blocks per game for an LSU team that beat Caitlin Clark and Iowa 102-85 in the national championship game.

There had been some question about whether the LSU women's basketball team would visit the White House after Reese took issue with first lady Jill Biden initially saying she wanted the Iowa women's basketball team to attend as well.

Things were eventually smoothed out, and Reese even shared a hug with the first lady on Friday.

The Tigers seem like a strong bet to return to the White House as national champs next year since Reese is returning for her senior season, and they have secured some big-time transfers in former Louisville guard Hailey Van Lith and former DePaul forward Aneesah Morrow.

LSU women's basketball star Flau'jae Johnson apologized Thursday for referencing the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in her song lyrics earlier this month.

"I just want to come on here and let ya'll know by no means would I ever intentionally try to disrespect or offend anyone," Johnson said in an Instagram video Thursday, per TMZ Sports. "My whole goal in music is to push positivity and spread love. So, in no way shape or form would I ever intentionally try to disrespect or offend anyone."

LSU addressed the situation in a statement on Tuesday night:

"We spoke with Flau'jae this evening, and while she never intended to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics, she expressed sincere remorse for any possibility of a misunderstanding and immediately took the video down. We will learn and grow from this experience together."

In Johnson's song, a remix of Latto's "Put It On Da Floor," Johnson made a reference to the attack on New York City's Twin Towers at The World Trade Center in a line about a Porsche 911: "In this 911 blowing smoke just like them towers."

Nearly 3,000 people died in the terrorist attacks after passenger jets were hijacked.

Johnson, who was born in 2003, was a key player for the LSU Tigers alongside Angel Reese in their run to capturing the 2023 NCAA title.

The 19-year-old guard averaged 11.0 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 36 games while shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and 33 percent from deep.

Johnson and Reese are both returning to the Tigers for the 2023-24 season in hopes of defending their national title.

LSU star Flau'jae Johnson deleted a rap video from social media in which she made a reference to the 9/11 terrorist attacks, according to Fox News' Ryan Morik.

While performing a remix of Latto's "Put It On Da Floor," Johnson referenced a Porsche and said she was "in this 911, blowing smoke just like them towers."

LSU issued an apology for her remarks:

We spoke with Flau'jae this evening, and while she never intended to offend or upset anyone with her lyrics, she expressed sincere remorse for any possibility of a misunderstanding and immediately took the video down. We will learn and grow from this experience together.

Johnson released the remix in part to celebrate the arrival of Hailey Van Lith, widely considered one of the top players in the transfer portal. Van Lith, who led Louisville in scoring (19.7 PPG) last season, joined the Tigers in April as they prepare for their national title defense.

Johnson figures to be a large part of those plans as well. She averaged 11.0 points and 5.9 rebounds as a freshman.

In addition to her success on the court, the 5'10" guard has built a promising music career.

Johnson already has a deal with Roc Nation. In April, she teased a forthcoming collaboration with DJ Khaled.

LSU's Angel Reese is one of college basketball's up-and-coming stars, winning the Final Four's Most Outstanding Player award after leading LSU to a national title this year.

She went viral for her "you can't see me" gesture to Iowa's Caitlin Clark during the national championship game, as well as pointing to her ring finger in a moment of trash talk, and she has become one of the top NIL earners in the sport with over $1.3 million worth of endorsement deals.

Adding to her list of iconic moments and partnerships, Reese took part in this month's Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

"I had on thong bathing suits and I didn't think I was going to be comfortable, but [everyone] made me feel really comfortable," she told Sports Illustrated. "I work out a lot. I embrace my body and who I am and every mark on my body. I probably feel the sexiest in a bathing suit."

The female athletes who attend LSU are dominating the name, image and likeness space.

Tigers gymnast Olivia Dunne and women's basketball stars Angel Reese, Flau'Jae Johnson and Hailey Van Lith are among those who hold top NIL valuations in women's college athletics, per On3.

Dunne's NIL valuation is at a whopping $3.4 million, which actually ranks second among college or high school athletes, both male and female, per On3. Only Bronny James, the son of Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James, has a higher NIL valuation at $5.9 million.

Dunne, who is widely considered one of the best female gymnasts in the world, has brand deals with American Eagle, PlantFuel, Body Armor, Grubhub, Linktree, Forever 21, Vuori and Leaf Trading Cards, among others.

The 20-year-old also boasts 4 million followers on Instagram.

Reese's popularity exploded during the 2023 NCAA women's basketball tournament as she helped the Tigers capture the title. She boasts 1.7 million followers on Instagram and she has brand deals with Mercedes-Benz of Baton Rouge, Campus Ink, Leaf Trading Cards, Dick's Sporting Goods and Raising Cane's, among others.

Johnson also has 1.3 million followers on Instagram and has brand deals with Raising Cane's and Campus Ink, among others.

Both will return to LSU in 2023-24 with even higher expectations as the Tigers look to repeat as the Division I national champions.

Van Lith, meanwhile, spent the first three seasons of her college career at Louisville and transferred to LSU to team up with Reese ahead of the 2023-24 season. She boasts 771,000 followers on Instagram and has brand partnerships with Adidas and Dick's Sporting Goods, among others.