The first player from the 2024 WNBA Draft Class to receive a signature shoe isn’t Caitlin Clark or Cameron Brink; it’s Angel Reese. The Chicago Sky star and Reebok are launching the Angel Reese 1 on September 18. Reese doesn’t want this to be just another basketball sneaker. Her goal is to follow in the footsteps of another Chicago basketball legend.
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Dating back to her college career with the LSU Tigers, Angel Reese has been a star on and off the court. The 6-foot-3 forward has the most Instagram followers of any WNBA player. Her popularity, in large part, is due to her marketability and personality.
That’s a major reason Shaquille O’Neal was so adamant about adding Reese as a Reebok signature athlete. The company is now ready for the next phase of its basketball division with Reese being the poster child.
In a recent interview with ELLE magazine, Reese opened up about all the emotions she has ahead of her first signature sneaker.
“Being able to have the support that I have right now with the fans is really important to me, and I’m trying to maximize everything while I can. This is a really important moment for me right now, and I’m really excited for it to launch,” Reese said.
The Angel Reese 1 was originally scheduled to release in 2026, but the two-time All-Star accelerated the process. That way of thinking perfectly summarizes Reese’s self-confidence, which she believes the shoes reflect.
“My personality is me being unapologetically myself—that’s what the shoes are as well: unapologetic,” Reese proclaimed. “The versatility of being able to wear the shoes on and off the court was the most important thing to me.”
Nowadays, the sole purpose of basketball sneakers is performance. Reese envisions even greater heights for herself and for Reebok as a company. The blueprint emulates what Michael Jordan has been able to accomplish with Nike.
“We’re bringing back that old-school look, the old-school vibes. People are going to be wearing Reebok everywhere, just like how they wear Jordans everywhere. I want people to wear the Angel Reese 1s everywhere and just to be a household name, to have no limits on what I can do and what I can accomplish,” Reese said.
Reese may be a little behind in comparison to Jordan. MJ received a signature shoe with Nike in his rookie season. One similarity between the two players is that they both have quite a notoriety at a young age. It won’t be easy to replicate what Jordan accomplished, but Reese certainly has the tools to try.
