© Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Angel Reese Raves About ‘Amazing’ Support From WNBA Veterans After Draft
New Chicago Sky member Angel Reese gave the veterans in the WNBA a hearty dose of praise in her introductory press conference Wednesday.
The former LSU star, picked No. 7 in the WNBA draft by the Sky, spoke highly of the league’s vets and told reporters she was excited to be “embraced” by the older generation of women’s hoopers.
“Being at the draft last week, being able to talk to Nneka [Ogwumike], being able to talk to Satou [Sabally], being able to talk to a lot of the vets, they were telling me they were super excited for us to come here,” Reese said. “They understand and they know our impact.”
Reese continued, “We’re all just trying to go in the right direction. And I think we’re going up right now. Being able to see so many different things with the networks, with the ticket sales, with the jersey sales—I think we’re in a really great direction and having support from your vets is amazing.”
As part of one of the most talented WNBA draft classes in history, Reese has every right to be excited about the future of the league. This past year’s NCAA tournament saw the women’s game shatter multiple TV viewership records, particularly during the Final Four tilt between No. 1 seed Iowa and No. 3 seed UConn. The growing popularity surge of women’s basketball even made its way into—out of all places—late-night comedy. During the peak of March Madness, SNL notably performed a sketch poking fun at how this year’s men’s tournament paled in comparison to their female counterparts.
Reese, a three-time All-American who clinched a national championship with LSU in 2023, will look to make her WNBA debut on May 15 when the Sky face the Dallas Wings.
“I think our impact and our platform that we have and we’ve used at a great level is really inspiring to so many people right now,” Reese said.
