Angel Reese: 5 things to know about the LSU women's basketball star
She's become one of the most recognizable figures in women's basketball.
LSU women's basketball star Angel Reese, after helping lead the team to its first NCAA championship last season over Caitlin Clark and Iowa, saw her popularity, fame and fortune quickly rise in the aftermath of last season's NCAA Tournament with landing big Name, Image, Likeness deals as well as pundits debating and discussing her performance and gestures in the title game.
Reese is in her junior season at LSU, in her second season playing for LSU coach Kim Mulkey. She averaged 23 points and 15.4 rebounds in 2022-23 and was named the Most Outstanding Player in last season's championship game.
Here are five things to know about Reese.
Angel Reese was away from LSU women's basketball's early this season. Kim Mulkey's star has now returned
Reese played the first three full games for the No. 7 Tigers (7-1) before being bench at halftime of the Kent State matchup. LSU coach Kim Mulkey has been tight-lipped on why the team's standout junior forward was away from the team for four games but did announce she would play the day leading up to the matchup against No. 9 Virginia Tech as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge Nov. 30
Reese missed her first game when the Tigers played at Southeastern Louisiana and she didn't make the trip with the team. Mulkey initially said, "Angel is a part of this basketball team. We hope to see Angel sooner than later."
While Reese was absent, Mulkey said that she was always going to protect her players. "You always deal with locker room issues. Sometimes y'all know about them and sometimes you don't. Sometimes you want to know more than you are entitled to know.
"I'm going to protect my players, always. They are more important."
LSU women's basketball star is known as the "Bayou Barbie" and sells march with the moniker
Reese said last year earlier in her time at LSU, a fan started calling her the "Bayou Barbie." The nickname soon caught fire amongst the Tigers' fan base and she capitalized on it through NIL ventures.
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She began selling merchandise with her name and "Bayou Barbie" on shirts, hats, etc.
"I feel like if you look good, you play good," Reese has said. "I make sure my eyelashes are done, my nails, my hair is on point (for games)."
LSU women's basketball star has been in Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit edition, Forbes Magazine
Reese was busy over the offseason, doing interviews for some institutional publications in the sports and business world as well as posing for various magazines, highlighted by Sports Illustrated in its famed swimsuit edition.
One of the biggest takeaway for Reese in the project was body confidence.
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“The biggest takeaway I want people to know is you can be girly off the court and still have swag and just be who you are,” Reese said in a released video from the shoot. “I mean, I embrace my body and who I am and on the court I can still ball. I am 6’3″, I work out a lot so why not show it? I got a nice little body. When I go to the beach or go to the pool and everybody’s looking, it’s like, ‘Damn, you sexy girl.'”
Reebok, PlayStation, Mercedes Benz, are just a few of Angel Reese's NIL deals
On3 evaluates college athletes' NIL value and assessment. Reese ranks as the top female college athlete in NIL earning at $1.7 million.
Her latest, and perhaps, biggest deals that was announced was with Reebok, who's basketball division is now headed by LSU great and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal. She'll have her own line of inspired clothing released with the company.
Angel Reese started her college career at Maryland
A Baltimore, Maryland native, Reese transferred to LSU after completing two seasons at Maryland. Her second season with the Terrapins, she put up 17 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
On why she decided to leave close to home and transfer, Reese said she needed "a fresh start."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers and Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers and Cajuns coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU/UL athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Angel Reese: 5 things to know about the LSU women's basketball star
