WASHINGTON \u2014 When Angel Reese stepped onto the WNBA stage, she was already baked in the spotlight. Few rookies, save for some of her contemporaries, were made into such a polarizing figure so young, and the Randallstown native never felt sheltered from the heat.<\/p>\n
So when the Chicago Sky traded her to Atlanta in April, Reese wanted to make sure no one around her could ever be left to burn under those hot lights again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t have a lot of that my rookie year,\u201d Reese said. \u201cSo just kind of stepping up and knowing that whatever rookie I did get this year, being able to help them as much as I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Three years into the league, Reese is by no means a veteran. But stardom undoubtedly exposed the 24-year-old to more scrutiny of her play than most players ever experience so consistently, attention that still smolders even after wave after wave of new stars and players arrive.<\/p>\n
She grew older quickly. And there\u2019s plenty of room under her 7-foot wingspan.<\/p>\n
Madina Okot didn\u2019t really meet Reese until she arrived at Dream training camp in May. But, of course, she knew \u201cAngel Reese,\u201d watching the 6-foot-3 superstar leaping against the glass for rebounds and putbacks while playing in Kenya and for South Carolina.<\/p>\n
A few postgame clips enshrining Reese and Okot\u2019s relationship made the rounds online, from Reese warmly warning the media to \u201cgo easy on [her] girl\u201d and Okot resting her head on her teammate\u2019s shoulder, to Reese gently teasing the rookie that, sure, \u201cshe\u2019s a grownup\u201d when Okot asserted that she was 21 years old.<\/p>\n
The camera captured Reese coaching Okot midgame more than once, too, something she\u2019s been doing constantly since May. The moment Okot drew a foul in Thursday\u2019s contest at the Washington Mystics, she looked at Reese, who was already gesturing for her to shake it off. Later, Okot glanced back at Reese on the bench, who shouted advice back.<\/p>\n
Reese urges the soft-spoken big to raise her voice both figuratively and literally, to make her presence known with her own teammates when she\u2019s calling for the ball.<\/p>\n
Like a proud gardener marveling over a flush of green, Reese credited how much Okot\u2019s post-ups have improved as her confidence has grown. She gives herself grace, Reese said, something she knows she never granted herself as a rookie. Just to make sure Okot never wavers in herself, Reese reminds her constantly how \u201camazing\u201d she is.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s like a big sister to me,\u201d Okot said. \u201cI\u2019m just gonna say: Don\u2019t judge someone based on what the internet says about someone.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reese\u2019s protective presence struck Okot from the moment they met. She\u2019d been working on it for months.<\/p>\n
Reese reached out to Okot\u2019s South Carolina roommate, Raven Johnson, who told her that she\u2019d be getting a \u201cquiet,\u201d introverted player.<\/p>\n
OK, Reese said to herself. That\u2019ll be an easy fix; no one, she said, can draw someone from their shell like her. She started by guiding the fledgling professional through personal, off-court hurdles like sourcing her own meals, and then focused on on-court advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s been there for me in every moment,\u201d Okot said. \u201cJust being around her \u2014 the other day, we had a rough practice, and she said, \u2018You know what? That\u2019s in the past. That\u2019s already gone. The next play is yours.\u201d<\/p>\n
From college on, Reese spoke boldly and defended herself and her opinions fiercely. Fame and all its exposure brought her a strong sense of personal identity to the forefront, hardening like armor. Reese attracts angry or dismissive comments from the public everywhere she goes, and has ever since tangling with Indiana\u2019s Caitlin Clark during the 2023 national championship game. She currently ranks among the top five jersey sellers in the WNBA, per Fanatics, and has 5 million followers on Instagram. There is no peace for someone like that.<\/p>\n
But she didn\u2019t source her way of handling herself on her own.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt probably did start from St. Frances. When I was a freshman, we had really good seniors \u2014 Nia Clouden, Mia Davis \u2014 and they were really great seniors to me. I wanted to embody that as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we went 30-0 and played our first ESPN game, that was the biggest game in my career early on, and they really helped me, and guided me through and were big sisters to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Age isn\u2019t a prerequisite to Reese\u2019s shelter, either.<\/p>\n
The list of WNBA All-Star Game starters made public hours before the Dream\u2019s 81-76 loss to the Washington Mystics on Thursday rankled Reese (who had 13 points and 13 rebounds). Among frontcourt selections, Reese finished seventh overall, just shy of a starting role behind Minnesota\u2019s Natasha Howard despite being ranked sixth on a weighted average of fan, media and fellow player votes, leading the WNBA in rebounds and starting for the leader of the Eastern Conference and fourth-place team in league standings.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t that she didn\u2019t make the cut; Reese said she \u201cexpected to be disrespected\u201d in favor of others, praising the other picks. But seeing her teammates Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray snubbed on the backcourt votes inflamed Reese. And she had no trouble standing up for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was important to speak up for people that don\u2019t always speak. That\u2019s how I\u2019ve always been,\u201d Reese said, \u201cspeaking for those that don\u2019t feel they have a voice in places they should.\u201d<\/p>\n