From Ring Taunts To WNBA Records: Angel Reese's Rise To Stardom

Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese has made a lot of noise since she entered the WNBA, taking the league by storm with her talent in the process. Born on May 6, 2002 in Randallstown, Maryland, Reese started her collegiate career with the Maryland Terrapins. After two years with the Terrapins, Reese transferred to the Louisiana State University Tigers, helping the team win their first national championship in 2023. Reese was named NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player and set the record for most double-doubles in a season with 34. During the title game win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, Reese famously did John Cena's you-can't-see-me gesture to Kaitlyn Clark, marking the start of a rivalry between the pair. The incident, which also involved Reese showing Clark her ring finger in reference to a brought unprecedented attention to women's basketball. Reese received a lot of scrutiny, which she described as double standards, as Clark, who defended her counterpart, did the you-can't-see-me gesture a couple games earlier. In 2024, Reese was drafted as the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Sky, averaging a WNBA record 13.1 rebounds and being named an All-Star as a rookie. The 24-year-old led the league in rebounds and was named an All-Star again in 2025, while also becoming the fastest player to reach 500 career points in rebounds. After being traded to the Dream prior to the 2026 campaign, Reese was named an All-Star for the third time before notching a single-game record of 26 rebounds in a game against the Los Angeles Sparks.