Angel Reese’s night kept getting better.
Following the Chicago Sky’s 85-77 victory on Tuesday over the Atlanta Dream — where Reese extended her double-double streak to 11 — the rookie forward was told that was named a WNBA All-Star.
“We won today, but they just told me I am an All-Star. I’m just so happy,” an emotional Reese, who had 19 points and 12 rebounds in the win, told reporters postgame.
“I know the work I’ve put in. Coming into this league, so many people doubted me and didn’t think my game would translate and I wouldn’t be the player I was in college, or better, or would be worse, or wouldn’t be where I am now. But, I trusted the process and I believed,” Reese added.
The Sky’s forward, who recently made WNBA history after she recorded her 10th double-double against the Lynx on Sunday, was named June’s Rookie of the Month.
She averaged 14.5 points per game, 13.2 rebounds per game, and 1.8 assists per game across 11 outings before she took home the accolade.
“Write your own story. Prove yourself right before others,” Reese wrote on X after making the All-Star team. “Do you. Be you. Don’t care what anybody say or has to think. Be who you are & everything will fall in place! #BLESSED”
Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark, who entered Tuesday averaging 16.2 points, 6.9 assists and 5.7 rebounds, also headlines the 12-player WNBA All-Star team.
“I know people are going to be really excited about it, but I hope it doesn’t take away from everybody else,” Clark said of her and Reese’s All-Star nods after the Fever’s 88-69 loss to the Aces. “This is a huge accomplishment for everybody on Team USA and everybody on Team WNBA. They all deserve the same praise. I don’t want it to take away from any of that and just be the focal point of All-Star weekend because that’s not fair to them.
“Just going to obviously soak in the experience because you never know if you’re ever going to get back there.”
Clark and Reese — the No. 1 and No. 7 picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft — are the only first-time All-Stars on the squad.
The rookie sensations were snubbed for spots on the U.S. Olympic roster, however, this will be their moment to make a statement.
Perhaps, as soon-to-be-teammates, they can accomplish something together, which would be a far cry from the on-court rivalry they had during their collegiate careers at LSU and Iowa.
Clark, who was the WNBA Rookie of the Month in May, finished first in voting (700,735 votes), while Reese was fifth (381,518).
The two are the clear front-runners for the Rookie of the Year title.
As part of the All-Star festivities, ESPN will air a skills challenge and a 3-point contest on July 19 at 6 p.m. Eastern.
The 2024 WNBA All-Star game will tip off on July 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET at Footprint Center in Phoenix, airing on ABC.
