Reese will participate in the Unrivaled league starting this weekend
Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese heads to the locker room after being ejected from a WNBA basketball gameAP
Angel Reese’s rookie season would have been worthy of Rookie of the Year honors in almost any other WNBA season, but unfortunately for her, it wasn’t enough this year.
She faced stiff competition from Caitlin Clark, who received 66 of 67 votes for the award and became the fifth rookie in history to make the All-WNBA First Team.
Reese averaged an impressive double-double of 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game, leading the league in rebounding.
Her 13.1 boards per game was the highest average in WNBA history, and she set a single-season record with 446 rebounds, surpassing Sylvia Fowles‘ previous mark of 404.
A’Ja Wilson eventually broke this record but Reese was on pace to reach 500 rebound prior her season-ending injury.
Angel Reese’s Road to Redemption in 2025
For Reese, next season should feel extra special. Knowing her competitive nature, which she displayed during her years at LSU where she won a national championship, it must have stung to have her season cut short due to injury and to see Caitlin Clark not only make the playoffs, but go further than her.
For now, Reese seems to be focusing more on the psychological and mental aspects of her game and well-being than the physical, as the new season doesn’t start until May.
She expressed her mindset for 2025 on her podcast “Unapologetically.”
Some say that “When you’re at peace with yourself, a lot of the things you want start to fall into place.“
Reese knows this and is certainly ready to play her best basketball this season, where she will have a new head coach, Tyler Marsh. Marsh has stated that the team will be built around Reese and Kamilla Cardoso as key players.
Reese will also be playing in the new Unrivaled League, an innovative 3v3 professional women’s basketball league that will kick off on January 17, with all games played in Miami.
The league was founded by this year’s WNBA champion with the Liberty, Breanna Stewart, and runner-up with the Lynx, Napheesa Collier.
Angel Reese’s new team
Joining Reese on the “Rose” team are Kahleah Copper (Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Aces), Lexie Hull (Fever), Azura Stevens (Sparks) and Brittney Sykes (Mystics) – a well-balanced roster that is sure to make Caitlin Clark a little jealous when Hull and Reese take the court together.
This tournament will be incredibly beneficial for the players involved, not only because the league is setting a record with the highest average salaries in women’s sports history, but also because they will be facing top-level competition over the next few months before the WNBA season begins, maximizing the opportunity to continue to grow the brand of women’s basketball.
