Tag: Angel Reese

Angel Reese is swapping the Bayou for Chicago and emerging with a new persona

As Reese moves her life from the Bayou to Chicago, she wanted to spice up her nickname to reflect her new life.

Former LSU star Angel Reese was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Sky during the 2024 WNBA draft. As she moves her life from the Bayou to Chicago, she wanted to spice up her nickname, which was formerly Bayou Barbie, to reflect her new life.

She took to social media to ask her followers what her new nickname should be, but it couldn’t be just anything. As Reese put it: “i need a new name now that i’m in chicago lol something cute that is catchy like Bayou Barbie.”

Reese is a new class of athlete who grew up in college during the name, image and likeness era, when college athletes were finally able to monetize their personal brands. She is entering into the WNBA with a huge social media following, multiple endorsement deals and a strong brand identity.

One of the sponsorships Reese will take with her to the WNBA is a multiyear, exclusive partnership with Panini America, which includes autographed trading cards and memorabilia. Thus, it may seem comical that she is searching for a new nickname, but it is actually a savvy business move as she transitions from college into the W from one city to a new city.

“Hey y’all, so it’s the Chi Barbie here,” Reese said in a video on social media. “I want y’all to know I’m still gonna be the Bayou Barbie, but like, I’m going to Chicago now.”

This new wave of players is shaping how athletes transition from college to the pros. They have business acumen and understand what it is like to run a business and a brand. They are finally allowed to fully flourish in their entrepreneurial journey, and the opportunities it will open for all athletes are going to be exponential.

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‘Bayou Barbie’ Angel Reese revealed new nickname with Chicago Sky

The “Bayou Barbie” has a new nickname for her WNBA career.

Since transferring from Maryland to LSU ahead of the 2022-23 season, superstar women’s basketball forward Angel Reese has been known by her moniker “Bayou Barbie.”

Reese even went as far as trying to trademark the nickname, though it was ultimately denied. But now that she’s heading from Louisiana to Chicago after the WNBA’s Sky drafted her with the seventh overall pick, it’s time for a new nickname.

She recently revealed that she will now be known as the “Chi Barbie,” a play on the name of the city of Chicago.

After Monday’s draft, Reese took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask for advice on a new nickname.

In a TikTok video posted on Thursday, Reese revealed that she is now embracing the “Chi Barbie” nickname.

@angelreese10

see yall soon💋

♬ original sound – angel

It’s undergone a few iterations, as she has also been called the “Baltimore Barbie” after her hometown as well as “Bayou Barbie” since she joined the Tigers, who she led to their first national championship in program history in 2023.

Now, Reese is heading off to the WNBA where she’ll team up with former college rival Kamilla Cardoso to comprise an intimidating frontcourt. It seems she’ll also be bringing a new nickname with her.

Former LSU point guard Hailey Van Lith commits to TCU

Hailey Van Lith is heading to the Big 12.

After one season in Baton Rouge, former LSU women’s basketball point guard [autotag]Hailey Van Lith[/autotag] will finish out her collegiate career at TCU.

Van Lith committed to the Horned Frogs as a fifth-year transfer on Thursday, as was first reported by Talia Goodman of The Next. Van Lith came to LSU after an All-ACC season at Louisville, but she saw her production drop after moving from the two to the one spot.

She averaged 11.6 points and 3.6 assists this season, and she opted to enter the transfer portal after the Tigers’ Elite Eight loss to Iowa rather than join [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Van Lith recently visited conference foe Mississippi State, but she’s instead heading to the Big 12. The Horned Frogs went 21-12 last season in the first campaign under coach Mark Campbell and reached the second round of the WBIT.

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Angel Reese embraces new WNBA Draft weekend friendships with heartfelt tweet

Angel Reese had the best time with Caitlin Clark, Cameron Brink and the 2024 class.

After a whirlwind weekend, Angel Reese reflects on her incredible time with the 2024 WNBA Draft class.

In case you missed it, Reese and her fellow rookies had the time of their lives during WNBA Draft activities. It was quite the weekend, from selfies at the top of the Empire State Building to TikToks with Caitlin Clark and Cameron Brink.

Rightfully so, Reese took to X (Formerly Twitter) to reflect on the time the 2024 class spent together. It must have felt amazing for players like Angel, Caitlin, Kamilla and Cameron to hang out in an environment that wasn’t about competition. Everyone was winning on Monday!

WNBA draft shatters previous TV viewing record

Women’s basketball’s growth in recent years is undeniable, and the numbers back it up.

The growth of women’s basketball over the last few years is undeniable.

To know this is the case, all you have to do is turn on a sports talk show for a few minutes. But that growth is perhaps best reflected by the viewership numbers.

After the women’s NCAA tournament shattered a number of records — not just for women’s basketball but basketball games televised on ESPN, in general — it’s no surprise we saw the same effect with the WNBA draft on Monday night.

Featuring stars like Caitlin Clark, [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag], Cameron Brink and more, the 2024 WNBA draft was by far the most watched of all time coming in at just under 2.5 million viewers. For context, the previous draft viewing record was set in 2004 with 601,000 viewers.

The WNBA has seen its fair share of growth as well, but not quite at the level we’ve seen in college. With so many of these stars now matriculating into the league, it will be interesting to see if it has the same effect.

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Angel Reese on why she left LSU, declared for WNBA draft

Angel Reese shed some light on her choice to declare for the WNBA draft.

Despite having one year of eligibility remaining, LSU women’s basketball star [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] elected to declare for the WNBA draft.

The Chicago Sky selected Reese with the No. 7 overall pick on Monday night. Following the draft, Reese shed light on her choice to turn pro.

“I didn’t know what I was gonna do. Obviously, coming back would have been amazing for me. I wanted more for myself. I wanted to start over,” Reese said.

Reese was honored at LSU’s senior day but waited until the season concluded in the Elite Eight against Iowa to make her draft declaration official.

For Reese, it was about getting to face the best in the world night after night.

“I feel like I had been at a high since the national championship. I wanna hit rock bottom. I wanna be a rookie again,” Reese said.

Reese was dominant at LSU, averaging 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game in her time as a Tiger. She led the SEC in total points the last two years and ranks 16th all-time on the NCAA’s career rebounds list.

The competition will get tougher, but Reese is ready to embrace it.

“This league is really competitive and I’m a competitive player,” Reese said.

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Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso being drafted to the Chicago Sky has fans making Tim Duncan and David Robinson memes

The internet is gonna internet, and these memes are glorious.

The Chicago Sky shook up the first round of the WNBA Draft Monday night when they drafted Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese. The team’s decision has fans making so many memes, including Tim Duncan and David Robinson comparisons.

After her stellar play in the national championship, there was always a chance that Kamilla Cardoso would get drafted sooner than where she was projected. The Chicago Sky scooped her up at pick No. 3 and then came back and grabbed Angel Reese at Pick No. 7, a pick they didn’t own before April 14.

Truthfully, that’s one heck of a first-round draft haul. Cardoso and Reese will likely do some serious damage on the glass, and the front office should be thrilled after the Sky had a very shaky off-season.

Fans immediately noticed the endless possibilities of what happens when pairing the two players together. Rightfully so, they responded with tons of memes, including several of former Spurs greats Tim Duncan and David Robinson.

Here’s some of the best the internet has to offer:

Angel Reese and Kim Mulkey had a huge hug after the Chicago Sky drafted her

A moment between the LSU coach and now former player.

Kim Mulkey and Angel Reese may have had their differences at LSU at certain points, but the coach posted a heartfelt goodbye to the star after Reese declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

After Reese was taken by the Chicago Sky to pair her with Kamilla Cardoso, cameras caught Kim Mulkey going up to Reese and giving her a huge hug that lasted a few seconds, followed by Mulkey pointing out something or someone(s) in the crowd who cheered.

Reese looked a little emotional in the moment, which made sense after hearing her name called and getting that greeting from her college coach:

Caitlin Clark’s casual photobomb of an Angel Reese and Cameron Brink WNBA Draft TikTok was so funny

This was funny!

Sometimes, Caitlin Clark doesn’t have to do anything to get a reaction.

That was the case on Monday, as Angel Reese put together a TikTok video with fellow WNBA Draft pick Cameron Brink in which they went from their orange hoodies during the day of the draft to their beautiful fits for the night, all to the tune of a sped-up Barbie Girl by Aqua.

So what did Clark have to do with it? She’s just chilling in the background on her phone. It’s a photobomb without being a photobomb, but fans had a laugh over it either way on social media:

@angelreese10

THE BARBS @cam

♬ barbie girl sped up – ★

 

Photos of LSU’s Angel Reese at 2024 WNBA draft

Angel Reese was selected with the seventh overall pick by the Chicago Sky in Monday night’s draft.

Former LSU superstar forward [autotag]Angel Reese[/autotag] is moving on to the professional ranks, and she learned where she’s heading on Monday.

Reese was selected seventh overall by the Chicago Sky in the 2024 WNBA draft as she becomes the sixth LSU player to go in the top 10. She’s also the highest-drafted Tigers player since [autotag]Sylvia Fowles[/autotag] went second overall in 2008.

The move will also pair Reese up with her former SEC foe in South Carolina’s [autotag]Kamilla Cardoso[/autotag], who the Sky took third overall. Now, the team has a formidable frontcourt duo.

Here are the photos of Reese at the WNBA draft this week.