Tragic Details About Angel Reese

Angel Reese has easily become one of the biggest names in women's basketball — but her life hasn't been without tragedy. 

The athlete started making waves when she began her college career at the University of Maryland, but it was her move to Louisiana State University in her junior year that catapulted her into stardom. During her junior year, Reese led the LSU Tigers to an NCAA championship. As incredible as her time on the court has been, Reese still had trouble balancing the student-athlete dynamic. She told Glamour, "It's been challenging, to be honest. I had a meeting with my coach recently, and one of my life goals is to make time for myself, to simply breathe and have fun while staying focused on my priorities."

Reese was able to tick off a big goal not long after her interview with Glamour — taking on the WNBA. In April 2024, the athlete became the No. 7 overall draft pick, becoming part of the Chicago Sky basketball team. Reese's professional career has gone exactly how one would imagine. In June 2024, she was even named the WNBA Rookie of the Month, averaging around 14 points and 13 rebounds per game. Reese is slowly taking over the basketball world one game at a time, but her journey to get to where she is has been anything but easy and includes more tragic situations than you probably think.

One of the most defining moments in Angel Reese's basketball career has been her rumored feud with fellow basketball star Caitlin Clark. It all started when the LSU star taunted the then-Iowa player during the 2023 NCAA championship game. Reese made a "you can't see me motion," made famous by WWE star John Cena, and pointed to her ring finger all while facing Clark after LSU took the title. Since then, the two have been pitted against one another. However, Clark got her revenge when Iowa defeated LSU a year later in the Elite Eight.

Per NBC News, during the post-game interview, Reese touched on the backlash she has received since taunting Clark last year. It's gotten so bad that she even gets death threats from the incident. She explained, "I've been through so much. I've seen so much. I've been attacked so many times, death threats. I've been sexualized. I've been threatened. I've been so many things, and I've stood strong every single time." Reese is aware that the majority of this criticism has come from taunting Clark, but she doesn't regret it. She said, "And it sucks, but I still wouldn't change anything, and I would still sit here and say I'm unapologetically me. I'm going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that." Although Reese has tried to shrug the hate off, it can't be easy, especially when it's something as serious as death threats.

Angel Reese loves all things basketball, but sometimes she needs to step away from the court to prioritize her mental health. In August 2023, Reese spoke with Teen Vogue about how she changed her social media habits because of her mental health. "Now I get on social media, I post, and I get off," she said. "Mentally, sometimes I do need to just take a break, have some time to myself and enjoy the moment and enjoy life. I had to learn that maybe a month after we won the national championship." Reese touched on her mental health in the interview, but it would be a couple of months later that she would take some serious action to keep her well-being in check.

In November 2023, Reese went M.I.A and stepped away from the court. The basketball star was missing for over two weeks, leading to speculation about her whereabouts. However, she was quick to clear things up when she returned in December 2023. Reese explained to reporters (via ESPN) that she needed to take a break from basketball for her mental health, saying, "My mental health is the most important thing before anything, and I'm going to make sure I'm OK before anything because I don't want to cause anything, harm, or any cancer in the locker room." With the overwhelming hate, opinions, and pressure she faces, it seems Reese knew she needed to reset.

Angel Reese was born to be a basketball player, as both her parents played college ball. Reese's mom, Angel Webb Reese, played for the University of Maryland, and her father, Michael Reese, played for Boston College before transferring to Loyola University in Maryland. Although both her parents were basketball players, Angel has been notably biased, often crediting her mom over her dad for inspiring her passion for the sport. She told Just Women's Sports in 2023, "I used to go to my mom's games when I was younger. She used to play in a little league, and I used to always go watch her games on Sundays. That was something that was always inspiring to me." However, the reason she praises her mom more than her dad is because her parents split when she was young, and her mom took on the responsibility of raising Angel and her sibling.

She told ESPN First Take in April 2023, "My mom is a single mom. She's really independent. She raised me and my brother by herself." Angel knows her mom sacrificed a lot to provide for her and the entire family, so when she earned a basketball scholarship, it was in honor of her mom. She explained to Women's Health in February 2024, "My mom worked hard (when I was growing up), raising us by herself. So that was my payback to her."

Angel Reese is a native of the Old Line State. The basketball star was born in Randallstown, Maryland, and grew up in the neighborhood with her brother, her mom, and her two grandparents. Randallstown wasn't known to be the worst neighborhood around, but it still had significant crime rates. According to Neighborhood Scout, Randallstown currently has a 20% total crime rate among every 1000 residents.

Reese has touched on what it was like to grow up in Maryland, sharing with Women's Health that she attended Saint Frances Academy, a small Catholic school in Baltimore. The school was a couple of miles away from her hometown of Randallstown but was still a bit sketchy. She told the outlet, "Our school was literally across the street from a prison." It definitely doesn't seem like the ideal location to get an education, but Reese didn't let it get her down. She explained, "I was lucky enough to have skills and be able to make it out of there."

With where and how Reese grew up, it seemed like the odds were stacked against her. However, the Chicago Sky star worked hard to get out of Randallstown and has transformed into a superstar.

The beginning of Angel Reese's college career was riddled with injury and could have ruined her future in mere seconds. Athlon Sports reported that during her freshmen year at the University of Maryland, Reese fractured her foot while on the court. The injury required her to have surgery with a screw being placed in her foot. The recovery time for the basketball star was a grueling 12 weeks, and unfortunately, when Reese returned to the sport it wouldn't last long. The Chicago Sky star wound up breaking her tibia, requiring another surgery.

One after another, these injuries took a toll on Reese. She told Glamour, "I remember my freshman year, when I had high expectations but ended up breaking my foot, sidelining me for 15 games. I faced another setback when, eight months later, I needed surgery and had a rod placed in my leg." Reese was supposed to be making moves on the court, but instead, she was left to watch on the sidelines. She said, "That period was incredibly challenging for me as a 17-year-old freshman and shook my confidence. Dealing with such a significant injury was tough and marked my first major setback." Reese described this as the "lowest point" in her career so far, but luckily, she didn't let it get the best of her and made quite the comeback.