NA writer. Black & Queer af. She/her. I stand 10 toes down for the Black & trans communities. Will be posting about a Black queer reimagining of Greek mythology
45 points (most in a playoff game in WNBA history) against the best defense in the league while facing elimination to force a win or go home 😭😭😭😭🔥🔥🔥🔥
(Via @WomensHoops_USA)
It’s not just her motor. It’s technique. It’s skill. It’s tenacity. It’s a defense-first mentality. It’s Angel Reese 😤
Don’t get it twisted. Night in and night out, the best defensive player on the court wears the city on her chest!
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Angel Reese in her WNBA career:
— Most double-doubles in a single season
— Most rebounds in a single season
— Most rebounds in a single game
— Most RPG in a single season
— Most RPG in a single month
— Most RPG in a career
From an outsider's perspective, it has to be difficult to imagine what it's like stepping onto the court knowing that every possession is being watched by accounts waiting for your next bad moment so they can clip it and post it for thousands of people to consume. The fact that there's even an audience for that kind of content says a lot.
That's the reality Angel Reese has had to navigate, and there really isn't much she can do to change it. The idea that she'll one day be treated like any other player is long gone.
The difference—and perhaps the most powerful part of it—is that Reese doesn't let any of it define her.
The three-time All-Star continues to show up every night and is putting together the best season of her young career. She's averaging a career-high (16.1) points per game—a number that could still rise—while tying for the league lead in rebounds, leading the WNBA in double-doubles, ranking among the league leaders in steals, and helping put Atlanta in position to compete for a top-four playoff seed.
Her recent stretch has been especially impressive. Over her last six games, she's recorded five 20-point double-doubles, helping propel herself into the league's top 20 in scoring. She also now owns 16 career 20-point double-doubles, the fifth most by any player through their first three WNBA seasons.
And this comes one year after becoming the fastest frontcourt player in WNBA history to record a triple-double while finishing as one of only two players, alongside Breanna Stewart, to rank in the top 25 in all five main statistical categories.
Given the way she's discussed, you'd think Reese entered the league as the media's darling—or at the very least, a lottery pick. She wasn't any of those things, yet that hasn't stopped her from becoming the league's most targeted player.
And perhaps that's the price of being a megastar. The spotlight doesn't always bring admiration. At some point, though, you realize who many of those voices belong to—the adult versions of the non-cool kids from high school. Once you see that, it's a lot easier to tune them out.
Year after year, she continues to improve, continues to produce, and continues to prove that an even brighter future still lies ahead. 🪄