One of the most polarizing players in women’s college basketball is taking her game to the the pros with the Chicago Sky. She’s also got a new nickname to boot.
Selected with the seventh pick of Monday’s WNBA Draft, the “Bayou Barbie,” who actually hails from Baltimore, knew that her southern-themed moniker wasn’t going to fit in the Windy City. Two days after the draft, the LSU superstar took to X — formerly Twitter — to ask fans what her new nickname should be.
On Friday, Angel Reese announced the results of her informal poll. Her new Chicago Sky nickname shall be “Chi Barbie.” She made the announcement via TikTok, saying:
“Hey y’all, so it’s the Chi Barbie here. I want y’all to know I’m still gonna be the Bayou Barbie, but like, I’m going to Chicago now.”
Reese Part of Chicago Sky’s Draft Night Frontcourt Overhaul
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In February, the Chicago Sky traded star guard Kahleah Copper to the Phoenix Mercury in a multi-player swap that also netted the Mercury’s No. 3 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft.
With that pick, the Chicago Sky chose to immediately upgrade at center, selecting 6-foot-7 Kamilla Cardoso from NCAA national champion South Carolina.
The bruising 6-foot-7 post player who just helped her Gamecocks to the 2024 NCAA title — her second — fell into the Chicago Sky’s lap like a money bag dropping out of an airplane. Cardoso excels at running the floor despite her size making low-post offense cool again in an era of firing shots from the cheap seats.
Cardoso is a dominating rim defender that anchored the top defense in women’s college basketball again, all while contributing double-digit scoring efforts throughout her collegiate career.
However, the Chicago Sky were not done dealing. Prior to the draft, the team dealt its original No. 8 pick to the Minnesota Lynx in another multi-player swap that also gave the Chicago Sky the No. 7 selection.
With that pick, the Chicago Sky gobbled up Reese as a high-profile, high-ceiling component to also plug into the team’s frontcourt.
Chicago Sky Widely Rumored to be High on Reese Prior to Draft Night
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Reese was widely prognosticated to be coming off the board with the seventh or eighth pick, and that was exactly where she went. The Lynx were the wild-card, remaining silent about their aims with the seventh pick. The Chicago Sky flip-flopping picks with Minnesota took any ambiguity out of the equation.
The 21-year-old starred for the Tigers over two years in Baton Rouge, La. In 69 games with LSU, she averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per outing.
She won the 2023 national championship with LSU. However, the 2023 title game against Iowa turned many basketball fans against her after she repeatedly taunted Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark throughout the contest. However, Reese has remained adamant that is was just gamesmanship and that she has no animosity towards Clark.
Reese’s college career ended with a national semifinal loss to Clark and Iowa. She excelled in her final contest, logging 20 rebounds and 17 assists despite suffering an ankle injury prior to halftime. Reese declared her eligibility for the WNBA two days later.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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