Paige Bueckers sends encouraging words to Angel Reese after historic achievement

“It means everything to me,” Reese told E! Online. “I’m just really excited to be here. There are so many great people and women who have done this. I get to sit in the room with the top, top, top models. Just being here and being in this moment—I’m grateful and graceful and I’m really gonna enjoy it.”

Reese says the moment is bigger than her, which Bueckers took note of in a now-viral Instagram comment.

"Strutted your stuff," Bueckers wrote.

Reese has yet to reply, but the comment has 4,639 likes at press time.

“I’m not just doing this for me,” Reese added. “I’m doing it for everyone who looks like me. And know that you can be anyone you want to be in this world. People are going to tell you ‘no.’ You’re going to get a thousand ‘no’s, but that one ‘yes’ is going to get you in the door and let you be whoever you want to be.”

For Reese, this was a long-time goal as much as it was for Bueckers to quickly become a household name.

“I’m just really happy to know that when I speak with my tongue, I know things are going to happen,” Reese said. “Not at the time that I want all the time, but at God’s time and this is my moment and this is my time and I’m gonna embrace it.”

Both teams struggled immensely this past season, finishing with identical 10-34 records despite Bueckers and Reese being the two biggest names for their respective franchises.

Reese has shown gratitude for Bueckers as she publicly shouted out the Wings star shortly after winning the award.

“That’s my dog," Reese said. "I love Paige. I’m really happy to also see her grow. She did a lot of great things in the league this year.”

Whether the two wind up playing together, though, remains to be seen as their careers progress.