Chicago Sky select Angel Reese in first round of 2024 WNBA Draft
The Chicago Sky have selected forward Angel Reese with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Reese spent the first two seasons of her collegiate career at Maryland before transferring to LSU for her final two seasons.
In the 2023-24 season, Reese averaged 18.6 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 47.1% from the floor. For her efforts, Reese was named the 2024 SEC Player of the Year.
Reese led LSU on a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, including a statement 78-69 win over No. 2 seed UCLA. In the Tigers’ season-ending loss to national runner-up Iowa, Reese tallied a stunning 17 points and 20 rebounds.
The Baltimore native’s junior season was even more impressive. In Reese’s first year in Baton Rouge, she averaged career-highs of 23.0 points, 15.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest while shooting 52.5% from the floor.
Reese sent waves through the women’s basketball world, earning First-Team All-American honors and being named the 2023 Final Four Most Outstanding Player after guiding LSU to a national championship.
Although Reese didn’t find the same levels of success at Maryland, she still boasted impressive figures. In two seasons with the Terrapins, Reese averaged 15.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per outing, shooting 49.3% from the field.
“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted,” Reese said in her WNBA Draft declaration. “A degree. A national championship. And this platform, I could’ve never imagined. This is for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in, it’s unapologetic you.
“To grow up in sports, and to have an impact on those coming next. This was a difficult decision. But I trust the next chapter. Because I know the author. Bayou Barbie out.”
Angel Reese is more than a basketball player
Angel Reese’s success wasn’t limited to the hardwood. The “Bayou Barbie” had a stunning On3 NIL valuation of $1.8 million, the seventh-most of any collegiate athlete.
Reese has a massive social media following and executed numerous NIL deals while at LSU, including with top brands like Coach, Amazon Merch on Demand, McDonald’s, Sparkling Ice, Xfinity, Wingstop, Outback Steakhouse and Discord.
At the end of the day, Reese is a winner. WNBA insiders don’t expect that consistent reality to change at the next level.
“She’s just deadly in the paint,” a WNBA general manager told ESPN. “She’s also very effective even when she’s got a bigger player on her because she can go around them because of her athleticism and her quickness. She doesn’t mind getting hit. She can get hit and finish with two people hanging on her.”