Angel Reese is part of a new generation of women’s basketball stars who have enamoured fans on and off the court. And yet, Reese isn’t always credited with the same momentum-changing pull as Caitlin Clark, for example. ESPN’s Holly Rowe, for one, firmly believes that Reese’s emergence was a key contributor to the rise of women’s basketball.
“The spotlight that has been shown on Angel, and I do think Angel has been a major contributor in the growth of women’s basketball,” Rowe said in a recent interview with WNST. “I don’t ever want to sell her short because I believe in that young woman.”
Reese’s fans have been saying this since her days at LSU, where she won a national championship and emerged as one of the biggest stars in college basketball. Her stardom didn’t diminish once she made it to the WNBA.
Angel Reese has found success on and off the court
Reese’s basketball talent quickly translated to the pro level. She led the WNBA in rebounds in both of her first two seasons and was voted onto the All-Star team twice. She was also named Unrivaled Defensive Player of the Year last season and helped the Rose win the league’s first championship. In March, she will make her USA Basketball debut, playing with and against some of the best players in the world.
Reese is already a walking double-double, but she is still just scratching the surface. She already made noticeable improvements between her rookie season in the WNBA and her second year, upping her field goal percentage significantly.
The one thing that has dimmed Reese’s star is the Chicago Sky’s lack of team success. It was no surprise to see the team finish with a losing record after just drafting Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, but 2025 and an aggressive win-now strategy didn’t bring any improvement.
Reese’s stardom reaches far beyond a WNBA or Unrivaled court. The 23-year-old has built up a formidable brand. Her podcast Unapologetically Angel has over 150k subscribers on YouTube, and some of her episodes garner over a million views. Moreover, Reese has ventured into TV with appearances on Hunting Wives, Steph Curry’s animated movie GOAT, and A House of Dynamite.
Reese also walked the runway at the Victoria’s Secret fashion show as the first professional athlete to do so. She also has her own fashion venture already, selling Mebounds merch and donating the earnings to a foundation that combats cyberbullying.
On top of that, Reese has revived Reebok with an insanely popular signature shoe. Reebok is now the official footwear partner of the WNBL.