By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter
Former LSU standout and Atlanta Dream star Angel Reese will be back in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Thursday night as coach Kim Mulkey’s No. 9 Tigers take on Texas Southern (7 p.m., SEC Network+).
The team announced her special appearance on Tuesday, but Mulkey alluded to it after Monday night’s 129-35 win over Southeastern Louisiana.
“Y’all be here Thursday, alright,” she said after her postgame press conference. “You might be in for a surprise.”
“And no, I’m not retiring.”
The “Bayou Barbie” came just one game short of a WNBA championship in her third season since leaving LSU. After being traded to Atlanta in a blockbuster preseason trade for two first-round picks, the forward helped the Dream to a 30-14 regular season record and the franchise’s first trip to the WNBA Finals since 2013.
Reese was named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year after setting the WNBA record for the most rebounds in a single season (521). She ranked third in the league with 1.7 steals a game and recorded 0.7 blocks a night.
Her first season in Atlanta was easily the best of her young career statistically as she played 43 regular season games. She was named to the all-WNBA second team and set career marks in points (705), rebounds, assists (120), steals (77) and blocks (32). Her 16.4 points per game were also her best season average in the WNBA, and she shot 45.1% from the floor (250-554), 19.3% from three (11-57) and 72.1% from the free throw line (194-269).
At LSU, Reese led the Tigers to the 2023 national championship in Mulkey’s second season in Baton Rouge. The Maryland transfer led the Southeastern Conference in scoring and rebounding in each of her two seasons as a Tiger and was a two-time all-SEC first-team selection as well as the 2024 SEC Player of the Year. She was drafted seventh overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Chicago Sky.
Thursday night’s matchup will be her first return to the PMAC as a spectator, and she will be honored for her tremendous 2026 campaign at halftime. Her Chicago Sky previously played a preseason game in Baton Rouge last year.
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