Angel Reese receives heartfelt admiration from $422,685 rival for rebounding dominance despite lack of appreciation

Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese received appreciation and love from fellow All-Star Skylar Diggins-Smith of the Seattle Storm for the eventful WNBA rookie she had, where she established herself as workmanlike off the boards.

Diggins-Smith, who signed a two-year, $422,685 contract with the Storm last year, guested on the Unapologetically Angel podcast and shared her thoughts on what Reese was able to accomplish in her first year in the pros. The 10-year veteran guard highlighted that despite not given the recognition she deserved by many, the Sky rookie did well, especially as a rebounding force.

She said:

"You can do too much passing, too much shooting, too much dribbling... ain't no coach gonna tell you, you did too much rebounding... you have a knack for the ball, and you always have."

Selected seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft out of LSU, Angel Reese had instant impact in Chicago, becoming a true double-double force. She finished her rookie campaign with averages of 13.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. She was named an All-Star in her first year while finishing second in the rookie of the year voting.

Along the way she had her share of doubters, particularly with her ability to score, but she did not pay too much attention to them and instead vowed to work on her offensive game in the offseason.

Angel Reese, Skylar Diggins-Smith featured in newly formed league Unrivaled

Angel Reese and Skylar Diggins-Smith are among the WNBA stars featured in the newly formed 3-on-3 Unrivaled Basketball League, which tips off its inaugural season on Friday in Miami, Florida.

Founded by Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) and Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx), Unrivaled is designed to provide a viable alternative for women professional players to showcase their talent while earning good money during the WNBA offseason.

Thirty-six WNBA players, spread across six teams, are participating in the inaugural season of Unrivaled, which will run from Jan. 17 to March 17, including the playoffs.

Angel Reese will play for Rose Basketball Club, along with Kahleah Copper (Phoenix Mercury), Chelsea Gray (Las Vegas Aces), Lexie Hull (Indiana Fever), Azura Stevens (LA Sparks) and Brittney Sykes (Washinton Mystics). She is coming off a solid WNBA rookie season where she was a rebounding demon, something she looks to continue doing in Unrivaled.

Diggins-Smith, meanwhile, is playing for Lunar Owls Basketball Club, joining league co-founder Collier, Shakira Austin (Mystics), Cameron Brink (Sparks), Allisha Gray (Atlanta Dream) and Courtney Williams (Lynx). Last WNBA campaign, the veteran guard had averages of 15.1 points and career-high 5.5 assists and 1.7 steals.

Unrivaled games will be aired over Warner Bros Discovery's TNT Sports.