Angel Reese is a throwback to hardcore players like Dennis Rodman. That's a compliment.
There was a moment after the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever game that is worth recounting. ESPN’s Holly Rowe asked Angel Reese about how she triggered a 15-point, second half comeback.
"I’m a dog. You can’t teach that," Reese said.
This was not Reese bragging. This was her making a factual statement. Reese’s mental toughness is one of her greatest assets. You don’t see many rookies, in any sport, having that type of determination. Reese’s physical abilities are obviously considerable but her heart is one of the biggest you will ever see in a player so young.
She’s vicious and that is one of the best things you can say about any athlete.
There’s a part of Reese’s story that is impressive and it has nothing to do with Caitlin Clark. Or a rivalry. Or who is carrying the WNBA on its back. Or sponsorships. Or any of that. That is all for another day.
It's far simpler than any of that. It’s a recognition of what Reese is doing as a rookie, and what she’s doing is pretty remarkable. She’s having one of the more stunning rookie campaigns you will ever see. Not just in WNBA history, either.
Again, please don’t fire back wUt ABoUt KaTlAN cLaRK. We’re not doing that today. For now, this is about one person.
The comp people have been making is Magic vs. Bird but that’s never worked for me. It’s too simplistic. But there’s an even larger point and better comparison.
Reese harkens back to old school basketball. The 1980s and 1990s. When teams were brutal and talked smack, and toughness was a valuable currency. In fact, the most valuable of them all. This was especially true in Chicago with the storied Bulls franchises and why she’s in the perfect spot. That city loves trash talkers and tough players and, again, viciousness.
There are better comparisons than to Magic, much better, like Candace Parker, but I’m going to give you another that’s more fitting: Dennis Rodman.
Before Rodman became friends with a North Korean dictator, and despite his quirks, he was one of the smartest players in the history of the NBA. (He was also uniquely brave off the court. He tested gender boundaries and was an unyielding ally of the LGBTQ community.)
Like Reese, his basketball IQ was off the charts, and like Reese, he was a devastating rebounder. Being compared to Rodman is one of the greatest compliments you can give any player.
This toughness that has almost familial, Chicago style roots, is as much a part of Reese’s DNA as it was for Rodman. Reese is a better offensive player than Rodman but they are similar in so many other ways that it’s scary.
When Reese is outspoken and confident she is carrying on a Chicago tradition. It’s why she’s already so beloved there. They get it. The racists who hate her don’t get it but real basketball fans do.
Reese is a gift to the WNBA. They are lucky to have her.
Against the Fever she had a career high 25 points to go along with her 16 rebounds. That was Reese's eighth straight double-double, extending her rookie record. She’s also just the third person in league history to reach the milestone.
I know what some of you are going to say. Rodman won championships. Don’t compare a rookie to a Hall of Famer like him. Well a bunch of you goofs are comparing her to Magic so take a seat.
Reese, more than anything, is a throwback. An extremely talented one, but a throwback. She fits in perfectly in a physical league, in a city that likes physical players who talk lots of trash. This is the basketball city that produced Michael Jordan, one of the greatest trash talkers of all time.
I’m a dog. You can’t teach that.
Turns out she doesn’t need any professors or a classroom. Reese has mastered Dog 101. She’s already got her doctorate in it.