“Most of my family plays basketball, so I kind of had to play.” The famous Reese family from Baltimore is a family full of basketball. Angel Webb and Michael Reese used to play college hoops and in addition to passing on both of their names to their oldest child, they also passed on basketball skills to Angel Reese. But the WNBA star has also revealed some other lesser-known facts about the paternal side of her family.

Angel Reese often credits her mom for raising her and her younger brother, Julian, on her own as a single parent. Angel Webb and Michael Reese separated when their children were young and the former LSU star has revealed she’s not close with him. However, the world still knows a little about him, like his college background, and in a recent TikTok live, Reese also revealed, “My dad and my grandma said it’s actually Indian…”

Currently in New York, the Sky forward begins the live by pointing out how she has not done one on TikTok for a long time and was inspired to do so after watching somebody else. As comments on her appearance pour in, she thanks someone for complimenting her eyelashes. But overall, Reese reveals that she has just woken up and showered.

“I’m not serving nothing but wake up in the morning face…I need to get myself together, like I’m just literally off the wake-up. My dad and my grandma said it’s actually Indian…well, she’s part-, half-, something Indian,” is what the WNBA player says.

Not much is known about Michael Reese or his family; only that he played basketball first at Boston College and then at Loyola University. Things could get a bit heated at times on the court, something which The Baltimore Sun noted in a Jan. 12, 1992 issue, updated on Oct. 24, 2018. “Michael is a terrifically talented basketball player, but there is something that has stopped him from reaching his potential,” wrote Paul McCullen.

But life has a way of getting in our way sometimes and Michael Reese’s dreams didn’t pan out the way they wanted to. Nevertheless, one thing he might be proud of is his daughter carrying on the basketball legacy of the family.

In that same Baltimore Sun piece, Reese also revealed something his mom had told him. And it was eerily similar to something Angel Webb’s mom had said as well.

Worlds collide as grandmothers’ advice carries on Angel Reese

Given the family’s estrangement from Michael, Angel Reese was closer to Angel Webb’s parents, Curtis and Barbara Webb. That was the family she grew up with and in an interview with SLAM, the Sky player revealed the advice she always got from her grandmother – to be proud of who you are, always. And when she sometimes felt awkward about being the tallest girl in class, Barbara told Angel, “You stand out for a reason.”

To The Baltimore Sun, Michael Reese revealed something similar about staying true to oneself and channeling one’s emotions into the game you love. “My mom used to say, ‘When you wear your emotions on your sleeve, you leave yourself open to all kinds of stuff,’ Reese said. ‘I’ve learned some lessons. The emotions I use on the court, when I put the same aggression and passion into life, that gets me in trouble,'” Paul McCullen wrote.

Needless to say, these two families might not always be close but their learnings and ways live on in the younger generation. Wherever her roots lie, one thing is undeniable – Angel Reese is a national superstar!