Reviewing This WNBA Star's Rookie Year After Season-Ending Injury Announcement

The last bucket of Angel Reese’s rookie season was a three-pointer against the Los Angeles Sparks on September 6.

After winning a national title with LSU in 2023, Reese would go on to be drafted seventh in the 2024 Women’s National Basketball Association Draft to the Chicago Sky.

What a year. I never would have imagined the last bucket of my rookie season would be a 3 but maybe that was God saying give them a taste of what they will be seeing more of in Year 2 lol🥲Through it all, I have showed that I belong in this league even when no one else believed.… pic.twitter.com/re1X85mWR2— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) September 8, 2024

Record Breaking Season

In 34 games played, Reese has recorded double-digit rebounds in 29 of them. Additionally, she had 27 games with a double-double. On June 21, Reese broke the rookie record for consecutive double-doubles (Tina Charles 2010 and Cindy Brown 1998) with her seventh consecutive double-double.

Reese didn’t stop there. She continued to break Candace Parker’s single-season record for consecutive double-doubles with ten on June 30. What made it more impressive was that Reese was seven years younger than Parker when she broke her record (22).

Reese pushed on. On July 7, she recorded her thirteenth consecutive double-double and etched her name in the WNBA history books. Reese would go on to add two more consecutive double-doubles before ending her streak on July 13.

On Aug. 18, Reese became the fastest WNBA player to record 20 double-doubles in a season with a career-high 20 rebounds. In the following game, Reese added another 20 rebound night. She became the first player in the WNBA history books to record back-to-back 20 rebound games—and the first rookie since Shaquille O’Neal to do so.

Fun fact: Reese’s height in centimeters makes her the second shortest player in WNBA history to lead the league in rebounding. The first, Chamique Holdsclaw, was in her fourth WNBA season when she did so. Reese totaled 446 rebounds for the season, shattering the previous single-season record of 404 by Fowles in 2018.

Reese finishes her rookie year averaging 13.6 points per game while shooting 39.1 percent from the field. She also shot 73.6 percent from the free throw line on 5.2 attempts per game. Her historic rebounding career will end at 13.1 rebounds per game. She also adds 1.9 assists per game, 2.2 turnovers, 1.3 steals, and .05 blocks.

“Rivalry” with Clark

It must be noted that the “rivalry” between Clark and Reese was mostly a rivalry between fans.

Reese has been framed as selfish. A thug. Violent. Someone who can’t shut up. Her media comments have been shortened and altered, framed for clickbait. All because of the hand gesture she did in 2023 to Clark in the LSU Tigers vs. Iowa Hawkeyes National Championship game.

A gesture that Clark herself said was a normal part of the tournament and Reese shouldn’t be criticized for it. Reese’s name has been dragged through the mud as fans tried to force a feud between the two rookies that didn’t exist.

In her podcast “Unapologetically Angel,” Reese said that Clark is an “amazing player” and she’s always thought so. “We’ve been playing each other since high school,” Reese said. “So I think it’s really just the fans—her fans, the Iowa fans, and now the Indiana fans.” Reese went on to say there was racism within Clark’s fans, though Reese understood Clark herself didn’t stand for any of that.

She also said that Clark’s fans have followed her home, made AI pictures of her naked, and sent them to her family. Outside of the gesture, their names have been at the top of the rookie of the year conversation. Some people think Clark should win it, and others think Reese should get the award.

However, neither Reese nor Clark cares much about an award that fans have been going back and forth on social media about. “Me and Angel would both give you the same answer,” Clark said in a media presser. “You don’t wake up and think about individual awards. I know that’s what all of you think we do. That’s what everybody wants to make this about, but both of our teams are competing for playoff spots. That’s our main focus. That’s a selfish thing, to just care about an individual award.”

Reese echoed Clark by saying, “We don’t either care about Rookie of the Year. I think you guys have made it a big thing. We haven’t.”

Anti-Bullying Campaign

Reese turned the negative attention and comments on social media into an anti-bullying campaign initiative called “Block the Negativity, Post Up Positivity,” Reese’s campaign aims to reduce online harassment of female athletes.

Her initiative partners with The Net and agency BarkleyOKRP to create an AI tool that blocks toxic comments on social media. It’s currently in beta testing with the Sky players to prevent harmful content on their X (formerly Twitter) feeds.

The new AI tool automatically detects harmful comments and blurs them out, displaying the message “Negativity Blocked.”

Bayou Barbie

The Sky hosted the first Barbie-themed game on Aug. 30 against the Indiana Fever. “The Chicago Sky are thrilled to welcome Barbie to the arena, with a shared goal of championing women in sports and encouraging girls to pursue their athletic passions. As a brand rooted in using its global platform to empower girls to dream big, Barbie has never been afraid to trade in heels for sneakers and take to the court, field or track,” a press release announced.

The Barbie Game Night included activities and promotions featuring the iconic Barbie brand with fan content, giveaways, and other family fun activities. The first 2,000 fans to enter the arena received a custom Barbie x Chicago Sky Sherpa belt bag or Barbie Hawaiian shirt. The concourse had a Barbie backdrop and photo opportunity along with a Jamaican Mango and Lime hair braiding station featuring Barbie colors.

Reese, known as the Bayou Barbie and now the Chi-Town Barbie, told AP reporters she was excited about the Barbie-themed night. "Knowing my impact in a name that has grown from something so small in Baton Rouge to now being so worldwide is amazing. And it’s a blessing,” Reese told AP.

Reese’s Reeboks

Reese first signed an endorsement deal with Reebok in October 2023. On Aug. 30, Reese debuted Reebok’s first performance basketball shoe in nearly a decade. In the match-up against the Fever, she wore her “Engine A” basketball shoes.

“Reebok has stood on business about me since day one,” Reese told ESPN’s Alexa Philipou before Friday’s game. “Everything that I’ve wanted, all the creative control, I’ve gotten.”

Reese expressed that she will “for sure” have a signature shoe. Her line - which also includes clothing - is available for purchase online at Reebok.com

Reese Piece’s

Fans have been calling for an Angel Reese and Reese’s Pieces collab since college. The brand deal happened after Reese tweeted, “Reese’s pieces where yall at?????” after learning that was what her fans had been calling themselves.

The endorsement is a line of merch that includes a Reese-themed basketball jersey in Reese Pieces’s colors. It seems obvious due to her name, but the senior brand manager of Reese’s, Melissa Bette, said there was more to it. The endorsement was about good timing, personality alignment, and audience fit.

Reese is Wicked

The upcoming “Wicked” movie released a promotional ad featuring Reese. "There's a lot of noise out there," Reese says in the short video. "It can surround you, pull at you, and weigh you down. But I've got other plans."

In the ad, Reese walks toward the court past media members. She talks about learning to turn out the noise before singing a three-point shot. Then footage from the movie is shown.

What’s Next?

This isn’t the last fans will see of Reese until next season.

In July, Reese became the tenth player to join Unrivaled, the off-season WNBA league starting January 2025.

Unlike others before her, Reese will be able to stay in the United States during the off-season and work on her game in the 3-on-3 league.

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