A’ja Wilson is a WNBA legend by all rights but to Angel Reese, she is much more. The 22-year-old Chicago Sky forward has developed more than a mentor-mentee relationship with the 3-time MVP.
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To her, A’ja isn’t just the best player in the league but also someone she looks up to, someone who is there for her. The Las Vegas Aces forward has been a guiding light for the WNBA’s latest sensation confessed how she relates to Wilson’s journey and compared it to her own career. During an appearance on WSJ. Style, Reese heartily talked of the close bond she shares with the Las Vegas Aces’ star.
Reese recalled meeting A’ja Wilson for the first time as a freshman at Maryland University in 2020. By then Wilson had already become a superstar-level player in the WNBA while Reese was still adjusting to the college game. Despite Reese’s initial struggles, Wilson could sense something special in her and took the youngster under her wing.
Since then, Reese wanted to emulate Wilson’s legacy and at the same time, she also found someone who can have her back when things go south. Reese also believes Wilson has paved the way for her to build a glorious WNBA resume. She told WSJ. Style,
“It wasn’t an easy journey for her, it has never been an easy journey for me. So just being able to look after her and look at her and see like that’s where I wanna be one day and just thrive and walk in her footsteps. She’s laid the ground for me to be able to do that. She’s been nothing but an inspiration for me. She’s always been like somebody that I can call and be there for. So I just love that about her.”
Reese continued to receive tremendous support from Wilson when she started to shine on the WNBA stage. She even fondly refers to her as one of her “WNBA moms”. In the debut episode of her Unapologetically Angel pod, Reese conveyed,
“Everybody’s always trying to claim me. My moms, in no order, A’ja [Wilson], Nneka [Ogwumike], Dearica [Hamby], Napheesa, Jonquel [Jones], is a good one too.”
Like A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese has also begun her WNBA journey on a resounding note. So much so that Wilson sees a little bit of herself in the emerging WNBA star.
Angel Reese is following A’ja Wilson on her tracks
A’ja Wilson has seen Reese’s evolution since her initial struggles at Maryland and has come to appreciate her knack for improving her game consistently. She is a huge fan of her hard-nosed style of play and acknowledges her rise as a rebounding force in the league. During an interview with WSJ. Style, Wilson stated,
“I have been following Angel throughout her collegiate journey…I saw a little bit of myself in her. No matter what I do, I’m gonna make sure that I go all out and give it a 100%. And I saw the motor in her, and was like, that’s young A’ja for sure.”
Reese has already eclipsed Wilson as a rebounder after she registered a record-setting 13.1 rebounds per game in her rookie season. She has laid a solid foundation to become a perennial WNBA superstar like her role model. However, she has a long way to go before she catches up to arguably the best player in the league.
