Earlier this week, the 12-player WNBA All-Star Team was announced that will face Team USA on July 20th in Phoenix and one of the names on the list was Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese.
The former LSU star is enjoying a standout campaign in her first professional season after being taken seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. After being named to the All-Star team in Year 1, Reese received a special message from the legendary Lisa Leslie and had nothing but gratitude for her words:
Leslie is one of the best players ever to step foot on a WNBA court, winning MVP three times along with eight All-Star appearances and two WNBA titles. She's also in the Basketball Hall of Fame. Talent takes note of talent and Leslie knows Angel Reese has a special career ahead of her.
Angel Reese making her presence felt
It was slightly surprising to see Reese fall to the seventh pick, but the Sky are undoubtedly happy to have her. The 22-year-old is averaging 13.2 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per night in 18 appearances for Chicago, who are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 7-11 record.
Reese is on quite the roll right now, too. She's recorded 11 consecutive double-doubles and brought down 19 boards in Tuesday's victory over the Atlanta Dream. Candace Parker holds the WNBA record of 12 straight double-doubles. Reese has a chance to break that.
The forward was emotional after the win over the Dream when asked about what it means to her to be an All-Star in her rookie year. Via ESPN:
“I'm just so happy. I know the work I put in,” said Reese. “Coming into this league, so many people doubted me and didn't think my game would translate and I wouldn't be the player that I was in college or better or would be worse and wouldn't be where I am right now.
“But I trusted the process and I believed and I'm thankful that I dropped to [pick No. 7] and was able to come to Chicago. And like, it's just a blessing. I can't thank my teammates and my coaches enough for just believing in me and trusting me. I know all of them are going to come to Phoenix and support me. So I'm really happy right now.”
Last week, Angel Reese had an off night offensively against the Minnesota Lynx but head coach Teresa Witherspoon explained that she never loses faith in Reese's ability to bounce back, just as she did on Tuesday:
“She's gonna continue to do what she does, that's who she is, she's always gonna come out and play hard and confident and give you everything that she has,” Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon said. “She's the hardest person on herself, so proud of what she's doing and what she'll continue to do.”
Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese headline the WNBA All-Star roster, but there's a plethora of other big names who will participate in the festivities later this month in the desert. DeWanna Bonner, Nneka Ogwumike, Aliyah Boston, and Jonquel Jones are a handful of the players set to take the court.
If you're wondering where players such as Kelsey Plum, Sabrina Ionescu, Brittney Griner, and Breanna Stewart are, they will be on the opposite side of the floor donning Team USA jerseys.
Best of luck to Reese in her first All-Star appearance. More likely than not, Lisa Leslie will be in attendance taking in the action.
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