Phoenix Mercury Legend Motivated Young Angel Reese to Play For Notre Dame

Many players make a name for themselves once they get to the professional level, but fans were already aware of Angel Reese before the WNBA. The Chicago Sky star dominated in college during her tenure with the LSU Tigers. She won the 2023 National Championship while receiving the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. However, her career could’ve been different if she had followed in the footsteps of her role model, Skylar Diggins-Smith.

Diggins-Smith joined Angel Reese on her Unapologetically Angel Podcast. During their discussion, Reese opened up about the impact Diggins-Smith had on her while she was growing up. The six-time All-Star attended the University of Notre Dame. Reese’s fandom of Diggins-Smith pushed her to one day be a Fighting Irish. She said,

“I remember watching you when I was younger like at Notre Dame. I always wanted to go to Notre Dame because of you.”

It isn’t a surprise that Diggins-Smith earned a fan in Reese during her adolescent years. The 5-foot-9 guard took over the women’s basketball world during her four seasons at Notre Dame. As a result, she was drafted with the third pick in the 2013 WNBA Draft. Despite playing a completely different style than Reese, her approach to the game resonated with the runner-up for WNBA Rookie of the Year.

Of course, Reese didn’t attend Notre Dame. The school wasn’t even in her last five choices during her recruitment stage. Furthermore, Reese initially committed to Maryland. She spent two seasons with the Terrapins before transferring to LSU. In the end, it worked out great for Reese as she reached stardom with the Tigers.

However, Reese experienced a full-circle moment as Diggins-Smith became the one to recruit her to join the WNBA star on the Seattle Storm.

Diggins-Smith attempted to recruit Angel Reese

Greatness recognizes greatness, and that’s what Diggins-Smith sees in Reese. The Storm star slickly insinuated that Reese should join her team when the two discussed Seattle’s practice facility. Since the Sky don’t have their own dedicated practice facility, Diggins-Smith took the chance to jokingly persuade Reese.

“You could always come visit ours,” Diggins-Smith said. “It’s a good start.”

Although the two were joking, Diggins-Smith could be looking to play with the talented forward. Reese is one of the best rebounding players in WNBA history. Her skillset matches very well alongside Diggins-Smith. However, Reese is committed to building a winning foundation with the Sky and Diggins-Smith aspires to raise the Storm back to title contention.