Family Ties

A lot of attention in sports the last few years has been on the father-son tandem that is LeBron James and his son Bronny James of the Los Angeles Lakers, but the brother-sister duo of Angel Reese and Julian Reese may replace the James duo as far as popularity goes as Julian impresses in his rookie debut last night for the Washington Wizards.

The Reeses’ are not the only brother-sister duo actively playing in the league. TJ McConnell of the Indiana Pacers and his sister Megan McConnell of the Phoenix Mercury are both professional athletes and are each very talented. There’s also Nia Coffey of the Atlanta Dream, her brother Amir Coffey of the Los Angeles Clippers and Elizabeth Williams of the Chicago Sky and Mark Williams of the Charlotte Hornets. But what the Reeses’ both bring to the game today can change how teams assess talent and prepare for match-ups. Angel and her brother Julian both have a unique skill set. Neither of them has amazing athletic abilities, yet they physically impose their will in the paint. They have a nose for the ball, and like legends such as Dennis Rodman, Charles Barkley, Ben Wallace, and other undersized players, they find unique ways to grab offensive rebounds and get their team extra possessions with their hustle and determination.

Angel Reese, in 2024, set the WNBA rookie record for most double-doubles in a season with 23 and currently holds the record for the most consecutive double-doubles as a rookie (only 4 players in the history of the WNBA have recorded 3 straight double-doubles as a rookie). Then, she went on to break the record as a rookie for most consecutive double-doubles in WNBA history with 15 straight games. Last night, Julian Reese scored 18 points with 20 rebounds in his NBA debut. The last person to put up that many rebounds as a rookie? His sister, Angel Reese, who posted a 19-point and 20-rebound game against the Phoenix Mercury. They are now the first-ever brother-sister duo in the NBA/WNBA to have 20-rebound games in their respective leagues, and they both achieved it in their rookie years. This is something that has never been seen before in the league.

Now, when I initially compared the Reeses’ to the Jameses’, it was not to allude that they would have the same career ceiling as LeBron James or endure the same path as Bronny, but in comparison, they both share an immense following that can be just as captivating. Angel Reese has been one of the biggest stars in sports since her days in college. She is very relatable to her fans, and her personality on the court encompasses her true competitive spirit. She is also very confident, well-spoken, and distinguished as a professional. Her entrepreneurial endeavors have shown that she is savvy, and her brand has been easily marketable. Her social media following has grown exponentially, and she is the most followed player in the WNBA going into her third year. She released her new popular signature sneaker with Reebok, became the first WNBA player to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway, and she’s inspiring girls all across America to follow their dreams of being a pro athlete despite all the harsh and unfair backlash she receives from the media, her peers, and the sports community.

From playing at Rucker Park and her humble beginnings in Baltimore, she is now on her way to becoming one of the biggest stars in sports and probably one of the most marketable women athletes in America. Yet unfortunately, Angel has been the target of a lot of negativity since entering the national scope. When Angel Reese played Caitlin Clark in college, a lot of controversy surrounded their rivalry. Angel Reese, who has always led her teammates to success with her animated personality on the court, was not received well by many commentators, pundits, and personalities in the public eye, but despite that, she has found a way to be a great asset to the Chicago Sky.

Competitive attitudes have long been praised across all sports. When athletes express their emotions and personalities, it often enhances their brand. However, many sports fans criticize certain athletes who display these same characteristics and meet the same criteria. This issue arises in every field, league, and institution where Black women are present. It’s evident in the corporate world, where stereotypes suggest that Black women are more difficult to work with, harder to communicate with, vindictive, and unprofessional compared to others, despite the reality being quite the opposite.

Around the globe, black women often bear the responsibility of supporting businesses, teams, group dynamics, and most collaborative or competitive settings. They have been exploited in their various fields, and after years of excelling under immense pressure, they have emerged as one of the most educated and qualified demographics in the world in whatever they pursue. Being held to a different standard than their peers has led to a survival instinct that equips black women with preparation, discernment, work ethic, and ambition. A fitting analogy is our recent election, where an impeached, disgraced, failed businessman was given another chance to serve as president, while a qualified and respected judicial branch member was overlooked by our prejudiced nation. Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark’s rivalry isn’t actually a rivalry. Angel Reese has beaten Caitlin Clark every time it mattered (NCAA championship). They were drafted to teams in two completely different circumstances. Also, they don’t match up on the floor because their roles and positions are completely different. So why have narratives pushed them into a rivalry? Misogynoir. The misogynoir Angel Reese faced comes from those who were galvanized by Caitlin Clark’s performance on the court. For a lot of casual basketball fans, Clark’s ability to make threes was transcendent to the WNBA. Her ability to score impressed many, and her doing this while representing Iowa and Indiana gave a lot of white basketball fans from the Midwest an athlete in a sport they’re the minority in, a hero they can champion. Kind of like what Larry Bird did for Indiana in the ‘70s and ‘80s. The problem with white fans gravitating towards the identity of a player parasocially is an ongoing issue this country will always face: white supremacy.

Caitlin Clark gave white supremacists the courage and the platform to disparage the WNBA’s community from its fast-growing progressive culture by inserting false narratives about black women who have laid the groundwork for what the league is today. Angel Reese was the target of a never-ending hate campaign that spanned across multiple outlets, and she had to endure sexualization, objectification, racism, misogyny, and just straight-up bigotry, all hidden behind the guise of “critique.” Caitlin Clark was called out for not addressing the violent nature of her fans and didn’t acknowledge the problem until it festered into something that she couldn’t subside with reinforcement. She let her family co-opt disgusting opinions about black women in the league and constantly played the victim when given a chance to denounce her coalition. This is what black women must face no matter what job they are required to do, unfortunately. Black women are always painted as inefficient, but attitudes about Angel Reese are going to change very soon, and it’s not going to be because of her play. Angel Reese is finally going to start getting the recognition and respect she deserves from NBA fans because of her brother. The fickleness of men can’t appreciate the talent of a woman until they see a male counterpart. Kind of like how men can’t empathize with women’s issues unless they are given a scenario centering on an important woman in their life. Men who have a hard time acknowledging their privilege are bound to also have a hard time acknowledging their bias. It is an extremely sad conditional prejudice that is perpetuated by misogyny, but there has already been a change of tone when Angel’s brother, Julian, played in his first NBA game. There were no “me-bounds” tweets, no low-lights, and no posts trolling Julian for his unique stat line at the end of the game. Just celebration. People have now begun embracing the siblings as what I predict to be one of the most interesting relative-sport stories to ever be introduced. The WNBA and the NBA have never seen players with the Reeses’ skill set, and they are going to have nice careers in their respective leagues. As for those who spent the last two years creating false narratives, coddling the “white damsel in distress” that is Caitlin Clarke, feeding into the propaganda that all the major media were trying to sell, while the Black women of the WNBA were vilified and painted as insecure for protecting their league and brand from white supremacy... stay on that side.