Angel Reese is ready to be a rookie again.
The LSU All-American forward, who declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft on Wednesday, explained her decision and why it’s important for her to embrace every obstacle in the pros.
“I want to start at the bottom again,” Reese told Vogue.com in an interview announcing her career plans following LSU’s season-ending loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes on Monday. “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.”
Angel Reese declares for the 2024 WNBA Draft in Vogue on April 3, 2024. Myles Loftin / Vogue Angel Reese declares for the 2024 WNBA Draft in Vogue on April 3, 2024. Myles Loftin / VogueReese rocked a number of designer looks in the fashion shoot with Vogue, which she said was inspired by tennis icon Serena Williams, who announced her retirement in the September issue in 2022.
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She donned a Diesel number — a cutoff top and baggy pants — and Reebok sneakers in one sporty photo.
Reese signed an NIL deal with Reebok in October 2023.
The LSU star stunned in a multi-colored striped dress by Zankov and Christian Louboutin heels in another shot, in which she wrote Jennifer Fisher jewelry.
Reese, 21, went on to tell the publication that she is “okay” with the drastic differences between the WNBA and LSU.
LSU players fly private while WNBA talent flies via commercial air.
“I’ll be working with grown women,” Reese said. “I’ll be working with women that have kids, women that have a family to feed. I’m going to have to work my butt off every single day and grind. And who wouldn’t want that? I don’t want anything in my life to be easy.”
Angel Reese #10 of the LSU Tigers shoots the ball during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at MVP Arena on April 1, 2024 in Albany, New York. Getty ImagesReese explained that her decision wasn’t made lightly after she garnered fame while at LSU — and led the Lady Tigers to their first-ever championship in program history last year.
“I think it’s my time to move on and grow,” Reese said in a behind-the-scenes video with Vogue. “It’s a very competitive league and I’m excited to just learn, grow and try to dominate as much as I can as a rookie.”
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model shared her decision to declare for the WNBA draft with Vogue in mid-March, when the interview was conducted via Zoom from her off-campus apartment in Baton Rouge.
“It was obviously a hard decision to make but it’s best for me my career and my family,” Reese said in a separate TikTok video she filmed, which featured behind-the-scenes moments from the photoshoot. “Be happy for me, or don’t. I don’t care.”
The senior, who calls herself the Bayou Barbie, is at peace with her college career.
“I’ve done everything I wanted to in college,” Reese said. “I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten [Southeastern Conference] Player of the Year [in the 2023-24 season], I’ve been an All-American.
“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.”
The 6-foot-3 Reese transferred to LSU from Maryland in 2022 and went on to be named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, averaging 23 points, 15.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game.
Reese, a top NIL earner who holds a $1.8 million NIL valuation, per On3, reflected on her four years of college basketball in a tribute video on social media.
The Baltimore native is projected to be a top pick in the draft, which will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music — where fans can attend the WNBA Draft for the first time — on April 15.
