Angel Reese is eager to see the record-breaking attention women’s basketball has garnered over the past month bleed into the WNBA.
The former LSU standout, projected to be a top-10 selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15, said Friday that “being able to raise women’s sports is amazing,” as this year’s NCAA women’s tournament drew in massive viewership — a record-smashing 12.3 million broadcast watchers tuned in this month to watch the Tigers face Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight showdown.
“I think I’ve done a lot in college and so many different players have done the same thing. Being able to take this to the W is where you want to do it at. And I think they deserve it, especially the vets. I mean they’ve done a great job, laying the groundwork for us,” the 21-year-old Reese said while performing a pre-draft “shift” at Raising Cane’s in Astor Place in Manhattan.
Less than a week after Clark and the Hawkeyes defeated the reigning champion Tigers, 94-87, a record-setting average of 18.7 million watched the championship clash between Iowa and South Carolina on Sunday, with the Gamecocks capping off an undefeated season with an 87-75 win.
That viewership crushed the 14.8 million who watched the men’s final between Purdue and eventual champion UConn one day later, along with any other basketball game, men’s or women’s and college or professional, since 2019.
“It’s crazy how the game is going right now and being able to surpass the men. It’s exciting and I think our games are so much more interesting right now and so many people are tuning in and watching us,” Reese said. “I love it. Being able to be a part of this, I want to be a great player but I always want to leave my impact, and I think I’ve done that.”
Reese, who declared for the WNBA draft via a Vogue photo shoot, was named an All-American at LSU, where she became a national champion in 2023 and the SEC Player of the Year in 2024.
Though some WNBA veterans have warned that “reality” awaits this star-powered rookie class — which includes Clark, the projected No. 1 pick, South Carolina’s Kamilla Cardoso, Stanford’s Cameron Brink and UConn’s Aaliyah Edwards, among others — Reese is eager to learn as she builds a legacy on the professional level.
“I’m gonna be a rookie in a big league where there are a lot of women out there that have been great before me and they set the tone. I’m going in with respect for who they are and what they have done…” Reese said. “I know the game is about to go crazy. I know the viewership is going up and I’ve been seeing all the things on social media like how it would elevate that, even if it’s just the rookies, being able to give that publicity to the vets because they do deserve it.”
The Indiana Fever, who hold the No. 1 pick, has seen a “spike” in ticket sales as part of the Clark mania, though she isn’t an official member of the team yet.
With a class packed with this much talent, Reese is excited to see how she and her peers can make an impact on the league.
“I want to be a great player and I want to leave my legacy within the league. And also just have that impact that I do have,” she said. “I think so many different things are going to change within the league and it’s going to be able to go up more and more…..Women are leading the way right now.”
