Angel Reese was expected to be one of the top picks in the 2024 WNBA draft and some fans, and analysts were astonished that she was picked seventh overall, as they believed she deserved to go higher. However, the center wasn’t bothered. Instead, she was ecstatic about fulfilling her lifelong dream of playing in the league and shed a tear as she walked onto the stage to receive her jersey from league commissioner Cathy Engelbert.
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While it was an endearing moment, comedian Funny Marco was confused about Reese’s emotional state. During an appearance on the Unapologetically Angel podcast, he asked her why she cried when she knew she was going to be drafted. The Sky star defended herself and responded,
“I cried in the moment on national TV… Because it was emotional… It’s a real moment… You can cry tears of joy.”
Marco knew exactly why Reese got emotional. But the comedian has a dry sense of humor and often tries to catch interviewers off-guard by asking bizarre questions or leaving them dumbfounded with his opinions about a mundane subject. He failed this time, as Reese is pretty secure about shedding tears after she was picked in the draft.
During her draft night interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe, Reese explained why hearing her name getting called made her emotional. She said,
“So many different people came out today [and told me] how they can relate to me. A kid from Baltimore is not supposed to be here and I’m just happy. My mom is here and my brother is here and I wouldn’t be able to do it without them.”
However, Marco is right in pointing out that Reese knew she’d be one of the top picks in the draft. She not only knew she’d be one of the most coveted players in the draft but also expected the Sky, who held the third and seventh picks, to draft her. Something that Reese was excited about. In an interview with NBC in May, she said,
“I wanted to come to Chicago. When the sixth pick went past, I was like, ‘Okay, I’m good’. When I heard my name, I just dropped my head and started getting emotional because I was just so happy… Talking to T Spoon over the phone during my whole draft process, I was like, ‘This is somebody I need in my life.’”
Reese repaid the franchise’s faith in her by putting together a historic campaign. She set a new WNBA record for most double-doubles in a row with 15. Then, the dominant big broke Sylvia Fowles’ single-season rebounding record of 404.
The center proved that she deserved to go higher than seventh in the draft. Angel Reese will make teams that overlooked her — except the Indiana Fever, who picked Caitlin Clark first overall — regret it.
