Angel Reese: The Bayou Barbie

In honor of ESPYS' Breakthrough Athlete of the Year, I decided it's time to discuss Angel Reese's amazing 2022-2023 year on and off the court. In this article, I wanted to focus not just on her dominating 2022-2023 season at LSU, but also highlight how her use of social media helped her become one of the most popular collegiate athletes up to date. Nicknamed the "Bayou Barbie", Angel has established herself and image, whether it's through the TikTok timeline, making guest appearances in various music videos, or even in her own Amazon ad for dorm college essentials.

Transferring in from the University of Maryland, Angel was on the search to find a coach who would push her harder than ever for her Junior season. Even though she had the option of attending Tennessee or South Carolina, Angel concluded that Kim Mulkey and the LSU Tigers were the ideal fit for her.

Angel went on to average, 23.0 ppg,15.4 rpg and 2.3 apg for the 2022-23 season. This included massive games like LSU vs Ole Miss where she finished with 36 points and 20 rebounds, or when LSU at Michigan where she went for her 33rd double double: with a whopping 25 points and 24 rebounds to match.

Angel became one of the strong focal points to lead her team to the NCAA Championship against Iowa State. She contributed with yet another double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds to take home the trophy.

When not on the court, Angel never fails to keep herself busy. She frequently engages with her followers on numerous social media platforms, giving them an inside look at the life of a D1 athlete. Most importantly, she has demonstrated that she can be a good role model for young African American women across the nation. Despite frequently hearing the labels "ghetto" or "classless," Angel continues to thrive in being authentically her while keeping to her Baltimore origins.

“I’m too hood”. “I’m too ghetto”. I don’t fit the narrative and I’M OK WITH THAT. I’m from Baltimore where you hoop outside & talk trash. If it was a boy y’all wouldn’t be saying nun at all. Let’s normalize women showing passion for the game instead of it being “embarrassing”. -Angel Reese via Twitter.