Angel Reese opens up on her ‘Welcome to the WNBA’ moment as a rookie

WNBA standout Angel Reese is no stranger to the bright lights, however, even she couldn’t help but acknowledge that things in the WNBA are just different.

From the time she was in college, Reese and LSU generated tons of attention as they ascended the NCAA ladder and captured the 2023 NCAA championship.

From the sounds of things, the NCAA Finals and the WNBA are very different experiences.

Reese knows what it’s like to play in a high-stakes game all too well

. For example, the 2023 NCAA March Madness Finals where she and LSU defeated Caitlin Clark, went down as one of the most-watched games of all time.

Despite that, after being drafted by the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese, like so many other NBA and WNBA rookies before her, had her own “Welcome to the league,” moment.

The phrase is one that has been used in both the NBA and WNBA over the years to describe when a rookie has a rough outing against a veteran player.

Whether it’s a tough night from the field on offense or a hopeless defensive assignment, the end result is the same.

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Angel Reese spoke about her “Welcome to the league” moment with CBS Sports on Wednesday:

“I feel like I’ve had a lot of moments, Welcome to the WNBA moments … So I think my first game was against Minnesota, and I played Napheesa, and, of course, she’s a great player. And I was getting cooked the first game, I’m not gonna lie.”

“I thought training camp was going to be harder” – Angel Reese opens up on how playing at LSU prepared her for the WNBA

While Angel Reese had her “Welcome to the WNBA” moment in her first game, she has since found her stride. Although the team is struggling to break .500, and currently sits in eighth place in the WNBA, Reese’s individual numbers are impressive.

Despite not being the most efficient forward around the rim, the LSU vet is averaging the second-most points among the WNBA’s rookie class with 11.6ppg. The only rookie to outscore Reese this season is Caitlin Clark, however, on the boards, Reese has her beat with an average of 9.6rpg, the most of any rookie.

While she has struggled with efficiency, shooting just 34.6% from the floor, and 71.2% from the charity stripe, she credits her time at LSU with preparing her for the W. On Wednesday’s episode of CBS Sports, she spoke about her transition to the league:

“I think my transition has been great. It hasn’t been a super big, huge surprise because Kim Mulkey kind of prepared me for this moment. At LSU, our practice was, like, 4 hours. We were ready. We were working. I thought training camp was going to be harder, so I think I was really prepared.”

While Caitlin Clark has continued to be the betting favorite for Rookie of the Year, with her stellar play, it’s clear Reese’s career is just getting going.