Reese’s excellent rookie season ended early due to a wrist injury

Chicago Sky's Angel Reese heads to the locker room after being ejected...

 

Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese heads to the locker room after being ejected from a WNBA basketball gameAP

Angel Reese’s rookie season was spectacular, setting new records in what she does best, rebounding and dominating the paint. I can’t say for sure, but maybe in any other season Reese’s stats would have worked for her to win the Rookie of the Year award, but this year with the presence and dominance of Caitlin Clark, added to Reese’s injury, it looked impossible for the seventh pick of the 2024 WNBA Draft, even after a record-setting rookie campaign for Reese. Reese finished with 446 rebounds, surpassing Sylvia Fowles’ single-season record of 404, which was later surpassed by MVP A’Ja Wilson.

Angel Reese leaving the WNBA ?

No, not really. The former national champion with LSU will join a select group of top WNBA players in the Unrivaled 3-on-3 league founded by recently crowned New York Liberty champion Breanna Stewart and Defensive Player of the Year and runner-up with the Minnesota Lynx, Napheesa Collier.

Reese was asked by Athlon Sports: “You have been associated with the new Unrivaled 3-on-3 league. What are your hopes for the first season of the league and what do you hope to accomplish by playing there?” This was her answer:

I’m excited for the league’s first season! It’s amazing to be a part of a league that gives equity to players. I’m looking forward to playing with the best athletes and really using the time to focus on my game and getting better too.

What is Unrivaled

Unrivaled is an innovative 3v3 professional women’s basketball league featuring 6 teams with 5 players on each team. The inaugural season will begin in Miami in January 2025. Reese will be joined by WNBA playersChelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum, Arike Ogunbowale, Jewell Loyd, Jackie Young, and of course Stewart and Collier. It’s surprising that Caitlin Clarkwon’t be joining, as we know how she could elevate this league, but she probably prefers to rest up after a few years where her basketball skills catapulted her to incredible fame.

League co-founder Collier recently revealed on X that the winner of the 1v1 tournament will receive a massive grand prize of at least $250,000. She also explained how she convinced Reese to join the league, mentioning that “Angel is a businesswoman and understands the importance of these ventures”. Angel currently hosts her own podcast, Unapologetically, and has nearly 80,000 followers on Instagram.

Angel Reese rookie season

Reese’s league-leading 13.1 rebounds per game and 5.1 offensive rebounds per game are the highest averages in those categories by any player in WNBA history. Reese, a 2024 WNBA All-Star, became the first player in league history to record three consecutive games with 20 or more rebounds. Only Alyssa Thomas, who holds the record with 28, had more single-season double-doubles than Reese (26). Reese finished the season averaging 13.6 points, 13.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game while shooting 39.1 percent from the floor in 34 games. We will have to wait and see how much she improves in the coming years as she tries to dominate the best women’s basketball league in the world.