On April 3, the sports world got a major shake-up with Angel Reese’s WNBA announcement TikTok. After months of speculation whether the Louisiana State University basketball star would stay in college to play for another year or go pro, Reese finally answered the big question. And she did so with an iconic social media flex revealing that she’s not only declaring for the WNBA 2024 draft, but she’s also launching her new professional era with a stunning photoshoot and cover story with Vogue. (“Not Teen Vogue … not European Vogue, American Vogue,” Reese clarifies in her TikTok.)
Reese’s college basketball career has been impressive, to say the least. The 21-year-old power forward started with a bang at the University of Maryland in 2020, then transferred to LSU in 2022 for her junior year. In 2023, she helped LSU win its first national championship, was named the SEC’s Player of the Year, and shared the Sporting News Athlete of the Year honors with one of her top athletic rivals and fellow top WNBA draft prospects, Caitlin Clark.
Now, it’s time for Reese’s star to rise to even greater heights. She announced her intentions to enter the April 15 WNBA draft with a candid TikTok that showed off her signature bold personality. “I have decided that I am not coming back to LSU next year, and I decided that I’m going to declare for the WNBA draft,” she says in a selfie video. “It was obviously a hard decision for me to make, but it’s best for me and my career and my family, so be happy for me — or don’t, I don’t care.”
Reese then drops another big announcement in the TikTok: her profile and cover shoot with Vogue. “Don’t ever say the face card don’t eat,” she jokes. “When you’ve been in Vogue, you let me know, OK?”
The rest of the video is a vlog of moments from Reese’s cover shoot, from arriving on set, to getting hair and makeup done, to her slaying in different outfits, looking like she’s having the time of her life.
As for the Vogue interview, Reese used it to share more about her decision to go pro. “My ultimate goal is to be a pro — and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready,” she told the outlet. She’s also looking forward to building up her clout in the WNBA the way she has in the college sports space. “I want to start at the bottom again,” she said. “I want to be a rookie again and build myself back up; I want to be knocked down and learn and grow at the next level.”
Fans can watch Reese step into this new phase of her career during the WBNA draft, airing April 15 on ESPN.