NCAA women’s basketball star Angel Reese declared for the 2024 WNBA draft Wednesday, proclaiming she had accomplished everything she can at the collegiate level.
Reese, 21, a 6-foot-3 forward at Louisiana State University, told Vogue she didn’t want to be “basic” and drew inspiration from tennis legend Serena Williams, who announced her retirement in the September, 2022, issue of the same magazine.
“I’ve done everything I wanted to in college,” Reese said. “I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten [Southeastern Conference] Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro — and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready.”
Reese's representatives could not be immediately reached by NBC News on Wednesday for additional comment.
Reese’s last college game was Monday, when her LSU Tigers lost to the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite Eight of the women’s tournament 94-87. Reese had 17 points and 20 rebounds.
Monday's highly-anticipated rematch of last year’s title game, that time won by LSU, drew historic ratings and featured Iowa star guard Caitlin Clark along with Reese. The rematch drew 12.3 million viewers, the most in women’s college basketball history, according to ESPN.
FanDuel told CNBC on Tuesday that Iowa-LSU was also its biggest betting event of all time for women’s sports.
Reese averaged more than 18 points and 13 rebounds during the 2023-2024 season.
In an emotional press conference after this week's exit from the NCAA tournament, Reese tearfully shared that she had been receiving death threats after LSU beat Iowa last year for the championship.
That backlash started when, near the end of that game, she approached Clark and waved an open hand across her face, a move popularized by WWE star John Cena to mean “You can’t see me.” Reese then pointed to her ring finger in a gesture that indicated she would earn a championship ring.
After that, Reese said she's been hit with a tidal wave of abuse that lasted for a year.
“I’ve been through so much,” she told reporters. “I’ve seen so much. I’ve been attacked so many times, death threats. I’ve been sexualized. I’ve been threatened. I’ve been so many things, and I’ve stood strong every single time.”
“All this has happened since I won the national championship,” Reese said Monday. “And it sucks, but I still wouldn’t change anything, and I would still sit here and say I’m unapologetically me. I’m going to always leave that mark and be who I am and stand on that.”
Reese still had a year of college eligibility left. She told Vogue she's fine with adjusting to life in the WNBA, where she might not have as many resources as she did at the powerhouse LSU women's basketball program.
“I want to start at the bottom again,” she said. “I want to be a rookie again and build myself back up; I want to be knocked down and learn and grow at the next level.”
