Angel Reese attends 2024 WNBA draft in New York

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - LSU basketball star, Angel Reese, is taking her talents to the professional level.

In an exclusive interview with Vogue Magazine, the Baltimore native shared that she is entering the 2024 WNBA draft.

Reese is anticipated to become the 23rd LSU player drafted into the WNBA and the 24th coached by Kim Mulkey.

The 2024 WNBA draft will occur on Monday, April 15, starting at 6:30 p.m. inside the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York. A pre-show will begin at 6 p.m.

Reese was one of 15 players invited to this year’s draft.

On Monday, LSU Women’s Basketball released a hype video narrated by former Tiger basketball star, Seimone Augustus, sending Angel Reese well wishes.

“From Baltimore to the Bayou to wherever you go next in the @WNBA .... Keep being you @Reese10Angel,” the video’s caption read.

Watch it below:

“I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten [Southeastern Conference] Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro—and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I’m ready,” Reese said in the Vogue article.

She played the final game of her college career on Monday night, April 1 when the Tigers fell to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 94-87 in the Elite Eight round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

The Bayou Barbie admitted that she was inspired by Serena Williams to reveal her plans to go pro with a fashion shoot.

Click here to read the full story from Vogue.

In a post on social media, Reese wrote that she is grateful for the last four years and excited for her next chapter.

“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted: a degree, a national championship, and this platform I could have never imagined,” the 21-year-old narrated in a video showing off the iconic moments throughout her collegiate career.

She went on to say, “This is for the girls who look like me, that’s going to speak up for what they believe in, is unapologetically you. To grow women’s sports and to have an impact on those coming next. This was a difficult decision, but I trust the next chapter because I know the author. Bayou Barbie out.”

Watch the video below:

Several of Angel’s teammates congratulated the 6′3 forward on her decision.

Head coach Kim Mulkey also released a statement via LSU Athletics.

“Angel transferred to LSU after my first season in Baton Rouge and she helped transform our program,” Coach Kim Mulkey said. “When she came here, she said she wanted to be here for two seasons and she has lived up to that. What a remarkable two years it has been. We are all indebted to Angel Reese for the contributions she has given to this program, helping us win our first National Championship, and the contributions she made on our university as a whole. She not only helped grow our program but had an impact on growing the game of women’s basketball across the country. We wish her good luck as she moves to the WNBA and look forward to see all that she accomplishes. We will miss her but will always cherish the two year’s we got to spend with her. Forever LSU.”

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The WNBA also confirmed that the 2023 NCAA champion has officially declared for the draft.

Angel’s last game averaged 12.3 million viewers on ESPN, according to Nielsen. That makes it one of the most-viewed games in any sport other than NFL football over the past year.

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