The meteoric rise of Angel Reese in the NCAA basketball has created anticipation over her potential future in the WNBA. Following the hype, the league’s superstar, A’ja Wilson, recently delivered a stern warning to the 21-year-old. In the recent episode of SHOWTIME Basketball, the 2x WNBA champion candidly talked about the difficulties Angel may face while adapting to the competition.
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Initially, A’ja praised the skillset of the youngster, stating, “I think it’s gonna transfer pretty fair out because I feel like she has a niche to it”. The 2x WNBA MVP then highlighted Reese’s rebounding ability as the most lethal aspect of her gameplay. “I’ve seen her rebound so much that I feel like that’s gonna be her key when she gets to the league,” she added.
Shedding light on her opportunities following the introduction to the WNBA, Wilson mentioned, “Obviously she has got years to grow or a couple of years to grow, just to let it translate over”. Yet, the 27-year-old emphasized the tenacious nature of the players hinting at the league’s high level of difficulty. “It’s gonna be tough and hard because our league is so tough,” the Las Vegas Aces star stated. She further added, “We got some dogs at every position and it’s hard coming in being a four and a five like it really is”.
Despite the concerns, the power forward chose to keep her faith in Angel after watching her compete in college basketball. Thus, A’ja mentioned, “She got little something to her that’s gonna be like okay she can then translate that over to the pros”. The 6’4 wrapped up her thoughts by once again backing Reese publicly, highlighting, “I feel like that’s where she is gonna shine the brightest”.
Why was A’ja Wilson so confident about Angel Reese?
Since joining Louisiana State University last year, Angel has become a rising star of the sport. By the end of her junior season, she led the team to its first-ever national championship. In the process, the 6’3 star made the headlines by becoming the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament. After shattering multiple records, the forward won the Best Breakthrough Athlete ESPY Award this year.
So, not only A’ja but the entire basketball community has been keeping an eye on Reese. Interestingly, Shaquille O’Neal is also on that list as the 51-year-old endorsed the young talent a few months back. “She’s probably the greatest athlete to come out of LSU sports. You heard it here first. Man and female,” the Diesel declared.
All this has been putting pressure on Angel with the momentum getting compounded over time. It reached a point where Reese had to call O’Neal in particular. Highlighting the buzz around his comments, she even told him, “You know how much pressure you just put on me?”.
Yet, she seemed to have enjoyed the stardom while continuously thriving in it. It just further proves A’ja’s words as the world would keep an eye on how Angel develops after entering the WNBA. With her entering her senior year of NCAA basketball, the moment is no longer a far-fetched one.
