Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese doesn’t just make headlines; she creates them. This time, it wasn’t her skills on the court or her infamous taunt game but her juicy revelation about how one phone call changed the trajectory of her basketball career.
During the latest episode of her podcast, “Unapologetically Angel,” Reese spilled the tea about her 2022 transfer from Maryland to LSU—a decision that shocked many at the time. And, as it turns out, her leap of faith had a name: Kim Mulkey.
The Call That Changed Everything
Reese didn’t hold back as she chatted with her longtime manager Jeanine Ogbonnaya, recounting the moment Mulkey slid into her life like a game-winning three-pointer.
“I’m not going to lie. I was scared to commit to LSU. It wasn’t even on my radar!” Reese admitted, with the kind of candidness that makes her podcast binge-worthy. “I was going to South Carolina or Tennessee, and then Kim called me. I was like, okay, bet.”
For those unfamiliar with Mulkey, LSU’s head coach isn’t just a coach—she’s a force of nature. Known for her fiery sideline antics and game-winning strategies, Mulkey is as persuasive as she is relentless. One call was all it took for Reese to ditch her plans of joining Dawn Staley’s powerhouse program at South Carolina and say “Geaux Tigers.”
Fans React: “Thank God for Kim Mulkey”
As snippets of Reese’s revelations hit social media, fans wasted no time turning the comment section into a Mulkey appreciation thread.
“THANK GOD FOR KIM MULKEY AND LSU,” one fan declared on X (formerly Twitter), seemingly breathing a sigh of relief that Reese dodged the Gamecocks.
Another fan chimed in, “She went exactly where she was meant to be.”
One particularly cheeky commenter didn’t hold back, quipping, “Imagine Reese in South Carolina? Nah, she’d be too bored with all that structure. LSU fits her vibe perfectly!”
While some applauded Reese’s decision to trust her gut, others took a subtle jab at South Carolina, with one fan noting, “Honestly, SC would’ve been a wrong move. LSU was destiny calling.”
From a Championship to the Draft
Reese’s choice to join LSU didn’t just work out; it exploded. She led the Tigers to their first-ever NCAA women’s basketball championship in 2023, defeating Caitlin Clark’s Iowa in a game that shattered viewership records and vaulted Reese into the national spotlight.
The win wasn’t just monumental—it was meme-worthy, with Reese’s unapologetic trash talk and larger-than-life celebrations solidifying her as one of the sport’s most captivating stars.
But her LSU journey wasn’t all glitter and championships. After the Tigers fell to Iowa in the 2024 Elite Eight, Reese decided she’d had enough of college life.
“Let’s be real, I was tired of college,” Reese confessed in the podcast. “I’m not saying I got bigger than the program, but I outgrew it.”
Cue the mic drop.
The WNBA Beckons
Reese declared for the WNBA draft in April 2024, going seventh overall to the Chicago Sky. While some fans speculated she might stick around for one more year thanks to the NCAA’s COVID-19 eligibility extension, Reese was already eyeing bigger courts and brighter lights.
“College was great, but I was ready for the next chapter,” she explained.
The Kim Mulkey Effect Lives On
Whether it’s Mulkey’s charisma or Reese’s raw talent, their brief yet iconic partnership at LSU will go down as one of the most pivotal moments in college basketball history.
And as Reese continues to dominate in the pros, one thing’s clear: Mulkey didn’t just recruit a player—she helped ignite a legacy.
Fans might still be debating the “what-ifs” of Reese at South Carolina, but one thing’s certain—LSU’s gain was everyone else’s loss. And for that, as one fan so eloquently put it, “Thank God for Kim Mulkey.”
