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Angel Reese's Physical Appearance Change Prompts New Nickname from Lisa Leslie

Chicago Sky superstar Angel Reese made a change in her appearance that caught the attention of WNBA legend Lisa Leslie.
Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Minnesota Lynx at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images
Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) walks on the court during the second half of a WNBA game against the Minnesota Lynx at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese has been on a tear of late.

In fact, ever since the Sky's June 22 game against the Atlanta Dream (where she recorded 10 points and 19 rebounds), there's a case to be made that Reese has been the best player in the entire WNBA. In the eight games since that contest, Reese is averaging 17.6 points and a staggering 15.5 points per game (which includes her setting a new WNBA record for consecutive games (6) with at least 15 rebounds).

Reese's shooting percentage, which has been a shortcoming of hers to this point in her WNBA career, has also drastically improved of late, as she hasn't shot less than 43.8% from the floor since June 24. Not to mention that she's making major strides as a facilitator for her teammates and an overall court general for Chicago.

Reese debuted a new long, blonde braided hairstyle for the Sky's July 9 game against the Dallas Wings. She has averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game in the two contests since this shift, both of which Chicago has won.

And this recent string of success has caught the attention of WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, who made a post to her Instagram story on July 14 that showed a recent photo of Reese with the caption, "💕💕💕 Braided Barbie is a Beast 😜".

Lisa Leslie's July 14 Instagram story post.
Lisa Leslie's July 14 Instagram story post. | Instagram/@lisaleslie

Of course, Reese was known as the "Bayou Barbie" during her time playing at LSU, and she assumed the "Chi Barbie" moniker once she was drafted by the Sky last season.

But Reese's "beast" performance of late, combined with her new braided hairstyle, has caused Leslie to create a new nickname for her.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers women’s basketball for Women’s Fastbreak and Indiana Fever On SI. His coverage centers on league trends and the growth of women’s basketball, both on and off the court. He also creates digital content focused on the sport’s biggest moments and personalities.

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