- The 21-year-old former LSU star will team with Kamilla Cardoso in Chicago
- WNBA attendance increased 16% last season, its highest since 2018
- DailyMail.com provides the latest international sports news.
Angel Reese put aside her rivalry with Caitlin Clark as ‘Bayou Barbie’ gushed about ‘all the girls’ she met at the 2024 WNBA Draft and jokes that she needs a new nickname after being drafted by the Chicago Sky.
Reese, 21, who was selected with the seventh overall pick by Chicago in Brooklyn last week, is now teammates with Kamilla Cardoso, another top WNBA prospect who just won the women’s NCAA tournament with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Cardoso, the third overall pick, also emerged victorious from March Madness with South Carolina in 2022.
‘The best part of the weekend in New York was meeting all the girls after being so competitive for the last 4 years!!’ Reese shared on X on Wednesday, two days after the WNBA Draft took place on April 15.
The former LSU forward added: “Everyone had a great vibe and we all had a lot of fun which shows how competitive we all are ON THE COURT!! NOTHING IS PERSONAL!!!’
Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark emerged as first-round overall picks in the WNBA Draft in New York
The 21-year-old former LSU star was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Sky.
Reese, Clark, Cardoso and other talents who were part of a deep WNBA Draft class this year hope the momentum they created to take women’s college basketball to new heights carries over to the pros.
“We’re not just basketball players, we’re very impactful to the community, the people around us, the little kids that look up to us, and being able to be all over the country, everyone knows us everywhere we go,” Reese said. on draft night.
‘Our lives are not normal. We may have a little bit of normalcy now as we start the league, but I’m excited to be a pioneer. “I’m excited to be a part of history and continue to see the future, and I know it’s bright.”
They will need to perform on the court for that momentum to continue to the next level and boost the league, which is coming off its own strong year. The WNBA just had its most-watched season in 21 years, averaging 462,000 viewers per game on ABC, ESPN and CBS.
The league also had its most-watched finals in 20 years, involving Las Vegas and New York and won by the Aces. Viewership increased 36 percent from the previous season. League attendance increased 16 percent, its highest figure since 2018. Add Clark to the mix and that number could grow exponentially.
But in the meantime, Reese will welcome any nickname suggestions as she awaits her new life in Chicago, which won the WNBA championship in 2021. The Sky went 18-22 last year and lost in the first round of the playoffs.
“I need a new name now that I’m in Chicago lol,” Reese shared on X on Wednesday. “Something cute and catchy like Bayou Barbie.”
Reese is expected to make her WNBA debut when the Sky take on the Dallas Wings at College Park Center on May 15.