It's Angel Reese's World. We're Just Living in it

I’ve made no secret of my wrestling fandom. 

It was April 3, 1995. That’s when my jaw dropped and I couldn’t take my eyes off the television. I saw this cool, earring-wearing, leather-hat-donning rock star, talking to this huge, video-game-boss looking villain in the middle of a ring. 

My mom walked into her room folding her laundry, and I just said “mom, what is this?”

“It’s that wrestling crap,” my mom said. 

Little did she know – or did I know – that that would be the beginning of a long journey for me.

I was 9 when I watched Sycho Sid attack Shawn Michaels the night after Wrestlemania XI on television, and it was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

I was hooked. I’ve watched wrestling closely ever since – with a little break during college, which I’ve come to learn is a normal occurrence for fans my age.

But like all good things, I came back around to it. Granted, with Vince McMahon being a piece of shit and WWE being in bed with some pretty bad people, my relationship with wrestling is confusing (thanks for being there, AEW). 

But in the 2010s, my fandom was at an all-time high, and that was the stretch when Adam Cole put together what could be the best single year in wrestling of the century. 

2019 was a moment, and we were all there for it, Bay Bay.

While it hasn’t been the whole year, another prominent athlete is having their moment right now, and we are all just sitting back and watching it happen.

It’s Angel Reese’s time, all.

On the court. Off the court. In the media. 

Reese is having an all-time run.

Let’s start with her on-court run, shall we? 

Not only is Reese going to her second All-Star game in two years in the league, but she’s doing so while playing the best basketball of her career.

Since the beginning of June, Reese has been playing like a legitimate MVP candidate. She’s leading the league in rebounds since June (13.1) and the next closest player is 5.1 rebounds behind her during that stretch. 

What’s more, the scoring has been there, too, as Reese is averaging 14.8 points during that stretch – the 22nd most since June 1.

Those are all good numbers, but let’s hone in on a specific five-game stretch, shall we? 

I want to look at June 24 to July 8. 

During that five-game stretch, Reese had five straight games with at least 15 points and 15 rebounds. During that stretch, she set a WNBA record with six straight games with at least 15 rebounds.

And if you’re pulling the “sHe ReBoUnDs HeR oWn MiSsEs,” fuck off.

Are there some? Sure! But is she the best rebounder in the league regardless of if they are off of her misses, her teammates missed, or the opposing team’s? Yes, she is. What’s more, she branded the Mebounds and is selling merch off of it now. So … thanks?

During that five-game stretch, only Kelsey Mitchell, Napheesa Collier, Aliyah Boston, and A’ja Wilson averaged more points per game than Reese (19.4) and get this – the closest to Reese’s 16.6 rebounds per game was Boston, who pulled in 8.6. 

What a damn run, and she did it while shooting 48.6 percent from the field (right below Wilson’s 48.8 percent mark), and 86.7 percent from the charity stripe.

Reese isn’t just playing the best basketball of her career after putting in the work this offseason with Lisa Leslie during Unrivaled, but she’s also showing she’s one of the faces of the league, too.

Days after being named to the All-Star team, Reebok and Reese announced that her first signature shoe would be dropping soon.

I'm not a Reebok person, but I'll get these. Just like I'm not a Sketchers person or a HOLO person, but I'll get Rickea Jackson's and Jacy Sheldon's shoes, too.

With her signature kicks, Reese joins an exclusive club of Sabrina Ionescu, Breanna Stewart, and A'ja Wilson who have their own signature shoe (many players have PE shoes and are a branded athlete but they don't have a signature shoe).

Reese going with Reebok over Nike – who is going to be releasing Caitlin Clark's signature shoe within the next year – is smart so that she can be the face of the brand.

If that wasn't enough for Barbie, the same day that the shoe was announced, it was announced that Reese would be on the cover of NBA 2k 26, joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Carmelo Anthony.

The best part about her cover? She's wearing her signature shoes.

Now that's a flex.

Reese joins Wilson, Ionescu, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, and Candace Parker as the only WNBA players to appear on the cover of the game, which has had continued growth from players.

The hate and verbal abuse that Reese gets on the daily isn't warranted, and it's something I'll never, ever get. She's a 23-year-old kid, who is a hell of a ballplayer, has proved skeptics wrong about her game transferring, who believes in herself, works on her game, and is living her best life.

Will there always be a built-in rivalry with her and other players? Yeah, absolutely. It's what makes sports great. But don't get it twisted – this isn't shit talking that we see with fanbases of two teams. This isn't warranted criticism of a young player who does have flaws as a player and improvements to make.

This is a forced narrative that is layered in subtle and blatant racism.

I, for one, will always be rooting for Reese.

On the court.

Off the court.

In life.