Julian Reese doesn’t hesitate to answer the question, much like he doesn’t waste any time grabbing any basketball that clangs off the rim.
The question is a simple one: Who is the best rebounder in the family? Him or his big sister, WNBA star Angel Reese?
“Me, of course,” said the New Orleans Pelicans’ forward.
Reese is in his second NBA season and first with the Pelicans after being signed in late September to a 2-way contract.
The Pelicans coveted Reese for his rebounding prowess. He started in 10 of the 13 games he played in last season for the Washington Wizards. He averaged 11.8 points and 10.8 rebounds. That includes a season-high 20 rebounds against the Utah Jazz. He had at least 10 rebounds in six of his 13 games and recorded five double-doubles. His best game was a 26-point, 17-rebound outing, also against the Jazz.
His minutes have been limited so far in the preseason. He logged just three minutes in last Thursday’s loss to the Miami Heat, recording two points and one rebound. He will likely get more minutes as the Pels wrap up their preseason schedule this week. They play on the road against the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday and then finish up the preseason slate Friday at home against his former team, the Wizards.
The Wizards signed him in February, eight months after he went undrafted in 2025.
Although he hasn’t played much in the NBA, the words of wisdom Angel always gives him came in handy as he waited.
“(She) basically just (tells me) to stay ready,” Reese said. “Last year I got called up late in the season. Just staying ready and taking advantage of my opportunity. Now that I have my opportunity, roll with it. I’m just staying ready and just attacking and doing whatever I can for the team.”
Pelicans’ coach Jamahl Mosley likes what he’s seen in Reese. Last season, Reese grabbed nine rebounds in his second NBA game playing against the Orlando Magic, coached by Mosley at the time.
“Julian is a workhorse,” Mosley said. “He just comes in and does his job. He knows exactly how he rebounds the basketball and where he can find his spacing on the floor. He gets into the right position to be able to collect the boards. It’s fun to watch him and how he kinda dissects the way he can rebound the basketball.”
Rebounding runs throughout the Reese family. Angel, who starred at LSU, has led the WNBA in rebounding in each of her three seasons. His mom, Angel Webb Reese, was a star basketball player and prolific rebounder at the University of Maryland Baltimore County and is in UMBC’s Athletic Hall of Fame.
“I really think it’s coincidence,” Reese said about the rebounding gene. “We weren’t just in the driveway working on rebounding. It just kinda happened. My mom was good at rebounding at UMBC, leading the country at some point. I feel like I think it’s just kind of a role we found and we’re taking advantage of it now.”
Golden State Warriors center Kristaps Porzingis, left, and Washington Wizards forward Julian Reese, right, compete for a rebound during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, March 16, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/John McDonnell)
Why is Reese so good at rebounding?
“Just taking it personal,” Reese said. “I feel like every rebound that comes off is mine and just doing whatever I can to get it. … I think it’s just all heart. Just going up and getting the rebound. It’s like a lost skill in the game today, especially at my position. I’m just trying to do that to keep me on the floor and help the team win.”
Meanwhile, his sister is doing the same thing. Angel Reese and the Atlanta Dream are in the WNBA Finals. They begin their series against the Golden State Valkyries Saturday. Reese is proud of Angel’s success. She was named WNBA’s Defensive Player of the Year last week.
“Very inspirational, I’m not going to lie,” he said. “She inspired me to be great here. (She’s) proving everybody wrong and just living in her truth. It’s a blessing.”
Now the 23-year old Reese, a year younger than his sister, is trying to make his own mark in the NBA.
“I feel like if I keep doing what I’m doing now, keep rebounding at a high level and playing defense and talking, I feel like I’ll stick in the league,” Reese said. “In this league, some guys find their niche and mine happens to be rebounding. So if I do that at a high level, I feel like I’ll be able to stay.”
And like his sister, he’ll get to make a name for himself in Louisiana. The Maryland native is in New Orleans now, just 80 miles from Baton Rouge where his sister became Bayou Barbie while leading LSU to a national championship.
“Seeing the love they gave to her and showed her, I appreciate Louisiana for that,” Reese said. “I can show that love back by playing hard and giving them everything I have every night.”