Angel Reese rose to prominence in the WNBA after leading LSU to their first-ever NCAA Championship in the 2022-23 season. However, her path to that success might have looked very different if she hadn’t transferred from Maryland to LSU in 2022. Had she stayed, she may never have had the chance to represent a team in a Championship Game. As unapologetic as she is, looking back, Reese has no regrets about her decision, confident it was the right move to leave her home for LSU and it even reflects in her financial benefits.

In a recent episode of her podcast Unapologetically Angel, the Sky forward welcomed UFC Knights star Mikey Williams. During their conversation about the challenges athletes face when transferring colleges and the difficulty of finding the right fit, Reese opened up about her own experience of switching schools in her junior year.

“I packed up and transferred, right, it’s hard, but like I think like, I used… So I was at Maryland and then that’s home for me and then getting up and transferring like it’s scary but like I won a National Championship from it so I was like I got something out of it,” stated the 22-year-old. Reese hails from Baltimore, a city in Maryland, and played her first two seasons for the Terrapins. 

“It wasn’t a perfect situation but like at the end of the day like I got what I wanted out of it and like now I look back and like I love LSU,” explained the Sky No. 5. In her first season at LSU, she led the team to victory, overcoming her arch-rival Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the Finals. Reese made waves for her trash-talking and hand gestures toward the point guard, which contributed to the media portraying her as a “villain”.

Nevertheless, she has every reason to have no regrets about her move to LSU and rise to glory, as her NIL soared following the championship season.

Angel Reese’s NIL success post-championship: A marketability powerhouse

Prior to the 2023 Women’s NCAA Tournament in March, On3 valued Reese’s NIL at $371,000. However, within just a month, that number skyrocketed to $1.3 million. Along with the surge in her NIL worth, the LSU alum’s social media following also soared, reaching an impressive 3.6 million (now 4.5 M) since the Women’s NCAA Final Four.

Reese transferred to LSU with one clear goal in mind: to win an NCAA championship in the next 2 years. And she achieved that in her very first season as a Lady Tiger. But rather than resting on her laurels, the victory only fueled her determination to push harder.

When Reese appeared in “The Money Game” on Amazon Prime Video in September, it showcased the intense work she put in after that championship win. The rookie’s agent, Jeanine Ogbonnaya, also featured in the series and revealed, “Angel has not had a week, a day, an hour off since she won the National Championship.”

The Chi-Town Barbie’s exceptional performance paved the way for multiple brand partnerships through NIL opportunities. Reflecting on her determination and strong work ethic, she said, “I am not doing a deal just for three months. I wanna work with these brands for a lifetime.”

The WNBA star also explained why the deals are important as she said, “And for the women’s side, stacking your money for four years straight is something that’s gonna be helpful, especially women that may not go the next level. You kind of have to get it how you get it.”

As Angel Reese embarks on her journey with the Chicago Sky, her impact both on and off the court continues to grow. With her marketability reaching new heights, Reese’s current NIL value has soared to an impressive $3 million—proof that her influence extends far beyond just basketball. But not sure if all of it would have been possible without that crucial LSU move!