The Stunning Transformation Of Angel Reese

Angel Reese will go down in history as one of the WNBA's most memorable rookies. After dominating in the collegiate sphere, the Chicago Sky forward quickly shot to fame — partly due to a highly-publicized rivalry with Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark — and hasn't missed a beat since. She's opinionated and often recognizes how the media has historically pitted two women against each other. In October 2023, Angel told the press (via LSU Tigers), "They always put a good girl and a bad girl and ... It's just going to be what it is, and I'll take that I'm going to be the bad guy, but I know I've grown women's basketball and I know I'm being positive, and I know that I've inspired people."

Reese certainly isn't all talk and no action. As of June 2024, she averages 13 points and 11 rebounds in the WNBA. In a nail-biting June 2024 game between the Sky and the Fever, Reese scored an impressive 25 points to help the Sky secure an 88-87 win. She was beaming in a post-game interview with ESPN, saying, "I'm a dawg! You can't teach that. Imma go out and do whatever it takes to win, and every single night, my teammates rely on my energy."

While the self-proclaimed "Bayou Barbie" has a complicated relationship with the media circus surrounding her, Reese's hard work speaks for itself. Her untold truth is quite intriguing, and so is the story of her journey to the top.

Angel Reese attended St. Frances Academy in her hometown of Baltimore, Maryland. From the get-go, it was clear that a career in basketball was inevitable for the talented player. Reese's high school coach, Jerome Shelton, told WMAR, "Angel, we thought when she was playing here, had the potential to play at the next level ... I always said that the bigger the crowd, the better she played."

Reese impressively won four championships in high school. In the HoopGurlz Class of 2020 by ESPN, she was ranked second overall after the University of Connecticut's Paige Bueckers. St. Frances Academy eventually retired Reese's No. 10 jersey in January 2023, a never-before-seen achievement by a female athlete in the school's history. The No. 10 is special to Reese, since it was worn by her mother during her days as a basketball player.

In December 2023, Reese paid a visit to her alma mater, and she couldn't help but be nostalgic about her high school experience. Reese took pictures at the John & Joanne Phelps gymnasium where she trained, and recalled, "So many memories that were made in there ... just a sisterhood. [I] had so much fun with those girls and I'll always remember, and I always will come back here ... just to be a part of this family because I love them so much."

When she started her rookie year with the Maryland Terrapins, Angel Reese was doing well with an average of 17 points during the first three games. In her fourth game, however, she suffered a toe fracture. It was an emotional period for Reese, who didn't expect to be forced off the basketball court because of an injury. "I told myself that was the only day I could cry," Reese recalled in an interview with The Athletic. "So, I cried that first day and all night." She was meant to be on the bench for three months, but Reese made a comeback over a month earlier than expected, in time for a game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Terps beat the Hawkeyes 111-93, and she recorded eight points.

Sadly, that wasn't Reese's only injury. For the better part of her college and WNBA career, Reese has often looked stylish in a single legging. The reason behind it is an injury she incurred before her sophomore year with the Terps. "I had surgery two years ago on my shin. I have a rod in my leg," Reese revealed at a press conference (via Nola). "Many people don't know that. I cover the scar for one, then my two players that I really admire, Te'a Cooper and A'ja Wilson, they also wear it, too. So it's swag. But I've used it to cover my scar."

Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark faced each other three times before their 2023 NCAA title game. At the time, Reese played for the Maryland Terrapins. The Terps beat the Iowa Hawkeyes each time, although Clark put up points as high as 34. The public pitted them against each other back then, but during the Louisiana State University Tigers' quest for a national championship in April 2023, things between the two heated up.

It all began when Reese flashed John Cena's "You Can't See Me" gesture at Clark. She also repeatedly pointed at her ring finger to signify that a win was on the way. Reese received backlash for teasing Clark, even though the latter had done the John Cena gesture, too, in an earlier game against the Louisville Cardinals. The Tigers ended up winning the national title (details on this next).

Reese and Clark gave the public more to talk about when they got to the WNBA. In a June 2024 game between the Chicago Sky and the Indiana Fever, Reese was called for a flagrant foul on Clark: the forward tried to block a shot by Clark, and the latter was sent sprawling on the floor. An uproar followed on social media, but Clark dismissed the dirty tactic as another element of the game. "It's just a part of basketball. It is what it is. She's trying to make a play on the ball and get the block," Clark said at a press conference (via CBS).

Growing up, Angel Reese was clueless about how much money she could make in professional basketball, as she shared with the "Riser Diaries Podcast." When she started commanding small checks as a Maryland Terrapin, Reese saved most of her money. Her income eventually soared when the shoe retailer Reebok came calling in May 2023.

Reese had many reasons to work with the brand. First, she was intrigued by the star power and experience of their president and fellow LSU alum, Shaquille O'Neal, as she said in a chat with the company. Secondly, Reese was excited by the idea of making history as Reebok's first women's basketball signee. Last but not least, she chose the brand over any other because of the level of creative freedom she would be afforded. "They're, like, letting me be the creative behind, like everything I want to do," Reese revealed during a live video session, "So, like, I'm having my own shoe line coming out, merch."

As more money was flowing fast into Reese's pockets, she sought the services of a financial advisor at her mom's request. She managed to get organized, but there's a bit about finances she didn't quite like — giving Uncle Sam his dues. Reese told "Riser Diaries Podcast." "I was sad the first time, but, I mean, you don't want the IRS coming after you. So, I'mma pay what I gotta pay."

In April 2024, Angel Reese announced her exit from college basketball in an interview with Vogue and further revealed that she was eyeing the WNBA. Not long after, she was selected by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 draft as the 7th overall pick. Reese told NBC Chicago of the very moment she learned she would be a Sky, [1:57] "When I heard my name, I just dropped my head and just started, like, getting emotional because I was just so happy." The pick, she said, validated all the hard work she had put into the game.

When she got to the league, Reese didn't slow down. On June 20, 2024, she made WNBA rookie history by putting up 16 points and 18 rebounds. Reese's shady on-court mannerisms didn't change either. In a June 9, 2024 game between the Chicago Sky and the Atlanta Dream, she was seen trash talking Dream forward, Naz Hillmon, after the latter blocked her shot.

There's no doubt that Reese has made the game interesting. She also isn't shy about voicing her contributions, despite Caitlin Clark being hailed in the media as the poster child of women's basketball. Reese told ESPN in a June 2024 interview, "The reason why we watching women's basketball is not just because of one person, it's because of me, too, and I want ya'll to realize that ... A lot of us have done so much for this game."