Reese on fashion, fame and finding purpose

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WNBA superstar Angel Reese has a purpose: "I want women and young women to hopefully be inspired" by what she achieved both on and off the basketball court.

"When I was younger, since I was always so tall and I was the tallest in the class," Reese told Rebecca Cole and Jason Cadee in a special crossover episode of It's a Cole World and Cut to the Jase.

"I used to ask my grandma, 'Why am I so tall? How come I’m taller than everybody?' And she was like, 'You’re gonna stand out for a reason. You’ll understand one day'.

"Now I feel like I understand why I stand out from everybody. It was the hype back before, and now everybody’s all the same height, but now it’s just me being able to be myself and be super confident within my skin.

"As a woman, it’s really hard in the industry of anything that they try to do, and I just hope I inspire young women that they can do anything they put their minds to. You can be a basketball player, but you can also be a fashion icon. You can do everything you put your mind to.

"So I want women and young women to hopefully be inspired by that."

Watch the Full Interview in the Video Player above.

Reese, 23, won a national championship with LSU in 2023 alongside Australian Last-Tear Poa, before being drafted by the Chicago Sky in 2024.

She has her own signature Reebok sneaker (Angel Reese 1), is one of the best rebounders in the WNBA, has been on the cover of Vogue magazine, and walked the runway at a Victoria's Secret fashion show.

"A lot of times when I accomplish things, I’m like, 'Okay, let’s move on'," Reese said.

"This time, when I first walked, I had been working on my walk for two months. I was like, I gotta get this down. Millions of people are gonna be watching. This video is gonna be everywhere. I just know I have to get this right.

"Once I walked down the first time, I was nervous, but I knew I had to be confident within myself. I was like, 'I know there’s a little girl or somebody watching and super inspired'.

"I was in the back crying. My makeup and hair stayed together, but I was back there crying, bawling, so nervous. But it was such a fun experience.

"It gave me a different perspective on how they value themselves as women. It was just a great experience for me to open up and branch out to different things.

"I think that’s important within sports — being able to branch out within the culture, fashion, music, and just being able to collide it all together is really important."

Reese has endured her unfair level of criticism, but she is resilient and determined to be herself. It's the advice she offered to the next generation of female athletes.

"Find your niche," she said.

"Find something that sticks out from everybody else. For me, it was being the girly girl on and off the court, but also being ready to compete at any level.

"Being myself, being real. There’s always gonna be a storyline with someone, and just being able to align. Fans come to the game to align with someone on the court, and I love that part of the game.

"So just being yourself, finding your niche, and finding what is authentic to you is really important."

Watch the Full Interview in the Video Player above.