Angel Reese is going to the WNBA.
The LSU basketball superstar who played a huge role in shifting the way women’s sports are viewed in a cultural sense beyond the average fan is now departing Baton Rouge, Louisiana for the big leagues. Reese announced her decision through a profile on Vogue, which editor Leah Faye Cooper, who is also Vogue‘s digital styling director, noted the star revealed in mid-March via photo shoot and feature story at a fashion outlet. When asked why she broke the news to Vogue, she said she didn’t want to be basic. The news was announced within the 48-hour period she had to make a decision after LSU’s season ended on April 1 in the Elite Eight.
The response is pretty on brand for the larger-than-life personality who fully embraced her nickname as the Bayou Barbie since transferring from hometown school Maryland after her sophomore season.
Reese came out of high school in a stacked class that featured the likes of Paige Bueckers, Hailey Van Lith and Caitlin Clark. The Class of 2020 also featured Norfolk State groundbreaker Diamond Johnson, Deja Kelly and fellow top 2024 projected picks Kamilla Cardoso, Aaliyah Edwards and Cameron Brink. Bueckers took most of the attention early on, but once Reese transferred to LSU, Bueckers battled injuries, she became the star of college hoops. Viral moments like making a block with her shoe off and doing a dance after scoring is what built the Bayou Barbie’s profile heading into the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
Everything changed for her after the 2023 national title, however.
Just as Reese’s popularity grew, Clark’s also saw a huge leap as her flashy play caught the attention of basketball fans as Bueckers was sidelined. Reese and Clark faced one another and in the heat of battle, Reese taunted Clark by mimicking a taunt Clark previously did to Louisville. The difference between the criticism Reese got for the taunt compared to the reaction Clark received led to a larger conversation about race. The entire discussion ultimately raised Reese to another level of notoriety. Just like that, she became a top-shelf celebrity. She was on “The Breakfast Club” and every other prominent talk show there is. Thanks to NIL, she cashed in on multiple deals with large brands and eventually took a trip to the White House to be honored after publicly hesitating to go. In Cardi B’s verse on the remix of Latto’s “Put It On Da Floor Again,” Cardi name-drops LSU and Reese has a cameo in the music video.
The late-game drama was the cherry on top for an entertaining viewing experience for many fans, and the first women’s basketball game many people watched altogether. The on-court tension between Clark and Reese propelled the popularity of women’s basketball to the next level.
Reese came back this past season as a senior for the Tigers and did much of the same as she did in 2023, averaging 18.4 points, 13.4 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game. Her scoring average went down five points, but she shared the load with Depaul transfer Aneesah Morrow.
Reese should be selected in the first round. Where exactly in the first round, is honestly a mystery. With Reese, you automatically get a hoard of new fans and the value of your team goes up. Through early projections, it appears as if Clark, Brink and Rickea Jackson are locks to get selected in the top three picks of the draft.
