Angel Reese’s stunning recent performance evoked an emotional admission. The WNBA star could not hold back the tears after reflecting on the growth of her career over the last two years.
On Friday night, Reese delivered the first 20-20 game in Unrivaled history with 22 points and 21 rebounds in her team Rose Basketball’s win over the undefeated Lunar Owls. Reese’s performance comes just three days after she had a 15-point, 16-rebound double double as she continues her impressive run of form.
Reese is just one of four players who are averaging a double-double in Unrivaled with Napheesa Collier, Breanna Stewart and Alyssa Thomas, the other three. The former LSU star has been one of the best attacking players in the league, leading in offence rebounds with 11.4 per game.
“Being able to see my growth, I put in the work, and a lot of people don’t see what I put in,” Reese said after the game. “It’s great to see the results out there. But obviously, I’m not done yet.” Such displays from the 22-year-old explain why the star is able to secure dozens of endorsements off the court.
In the last 18 months, Reese has been catapulted in fame and become one of the most well-known athletes in sports, making her extremely marketable. Just this year alone, the Chicago Sky forward has been on the cover of Vogue Magazine, secured her own signature meal at McDonald’s and her podcast“Unapologetically Angel” was named one of Spotify’s Best New Shows.
This comes alongside other lucrative deals she has signed with the likes of Hershey, Amazon, Beats by Dre, PlayStation, and Cashapp. One of her biggest deals came with Reebok, who announced Reese would be getting her own signature shoe that will debut in 2026.
Despite such tremendous success on and off the court, in a emotional press conference after her team’s win, Reese admitted she still deals with a lot of negativity . “It’s so much I can say. But for me, to keep going, it’s hard. It is hard. To live my life isn’t easy,” the Rose star said holding back the star. “And I don’t want to get emotional, but that’s why I put the work in every day.
“There are little girls that look up to me. There are the college girls that look up to me. And just being able to be an inspiration every day, that’s why I try to keep going through all the negativity. “At 22, it’s hard living this life, but I’m grateful. I’m blessed. And being here at Unrivaled has been the best thing for me.”
Reese has enjoyed a stellar debut campaign in Unrivaled and the off-season league has prepared her for what will be a gruelling WNBA season later this year. Her team, the Chicago Sky, missed out on the playoffs in 2024, after their season got derailed following Reese’s season-ending injury to her wrist.
Although the WNBA draft, in which Chicago have the third pick, there is every hope that the Sky will build a strong roster that can compete for a championship this season. Unrivaled ends on March 17th and the WNBA season kicks off on May 17th and opening day sees a blockbuster clash with Reese’s Chicago Sky taking on Caitlin Clark’s Indiana Fever.
