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Angel Reese Replicates WNBA Legend Despite Struggles

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Robert Marvi | Last updated May 23, 2025 12:40 AM ET

The Chicago Sky may be 0-2 to start the new WNBA season after losing to the Indiana Fever on Saturday and the New York Liberty on Thursday, but they have some hope for the future.

They have a budding star in Angel Reese, the No. 7 overall pick in last year's draft, and she's proving to be a player who can contribute in multiple ways.

Offensively, she's not off to a good start this year. She shot 5-of-14 from the field versus Caitlin Clark and the Fever, and on Thursday, she missed all eight of her shot attempts and four of her six free throw attempts.

But she grabbed 12 rebounds, giving her 29 rebounds in her first two games this year. It's the highest number of rebounds a WNBA player has had to start a season since former eight-time All-Star center Sylvia Fowles in 2018.

Angel Reese has 29 rebounds in 2 games.

The last player to record more rebounds to start a season was Sylvia Fowles in 2018. pic.twitter.com/LrCs6F5vi7
— Polymarket Hoops (@StatMamba) May 23, 2025

Reese was a potent scorer and a dynamo rebounder during her college career. She averaged 18.6 points on 49.8% shooting from the field and 12.3 rebounds a game in her four years in the NCAA.

She led LSU to the women's national championship in 2023, her junior season, over Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes. That game is seen as the genesis of a rivalry that some have compared to that of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, who first met in the 1979 men's NCAA title game and later met in the NBA Finals three times.

The Sky won the WNBA championship in 2021, but they have had a losing record in both of the previous two seasons. It will likely take a while for them to become very competitive again, but as long as Reese reaches her potential, they can remain on a positive trajectory.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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