Why does Angel Reese wear one leg sleeve? Closer look at WNBA star rookie's gear choices

WNBA rookie Angel Reese has turned heads with her impressive play on the court going back to her collegiate days at LSU. Now, as a member of the Chicago Sky, Reese is aiming to help the team improve on their 18-22 record from last season. Given that Angel Reese and the team have generated tons of interest among fans, many have begun to wonder why the forward wears one leg sleeve.

The question is one that has come up since her time at LSU, with fans and analysts alike wondering why the star wears one leg sleeve. In April 2023 while playing in the NCAA, Reese opened up on the situation, explaining that wearing the sleeve serves two purposes.

In addition to the fact that she uses it to emulate two of her idols, Te'a Cooper and A'ja Wilson, Reese also wears the leg sleeve to cover up a scar. As she explained to media members, an injury sustained early in her collegiate career forced her to undergo surgery, leaving a pretty massive scar:

“I had surgery two years ago on my shin. I have a rod in my leg. Many people don’t know that. I cover the scar for one, then my two players that I really admire, Te’a Cooper and A’ja Wilson, they also wear it, too. So it’s swag. But I’ve used it to cover my scar.”

Looking at the start of Angel Reese's WNBA career with the Chicago Sky

While Angel Reese's leg sleeve has turned heads and raised questions, it's the LSU alumni's play on court that has truly drawn attention from fans. After coming up short in her and LSU's quest to go back-to-back in the NCAA Tournament, she set her sights on the WNBA season.

In her first regular-season game with the Sky, Reese flirted with a double-double, logging 12 points and eight rebounds in a 87-79 loss to the Dallas Wings. Despite that, she and the team were then able to bounce back three days later in a highly anticipated rematch where her 11 points and nine boards fueled the team to a win.

Since then, the team has split wins and losses, defeating the New York Liberty on May 23 and the LA Sparks on May 30. On the flip side, they dropped back-to-back games to the undefeated Connecticut Sun on May 25 and the Seattle Storm on May 28.

Through the first six games of the season, Angel Reese averaged 11.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Currently, the Sky sit in fourth place in the East (3-3) and seventh place in the league. With the WNBA playoffs being based on overall record rather than conference standings, the team will look to pick up a big win against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever on Saturday when they meet in their first regular-season game.