Fan support has had a huge impact on athletes. In this case, Angel Reese has been the center of attention due to the support she has received from WNBA fans.
The Chicago Sky star is one of the most popular basketball players, so when she arrived at the USA team’s training camp in Miami, she did not go unnoticed, and fans showed their affection for her with a powerful nickname.
Reese’s new nickname
Angel is one of the players who will wear the USA colors in Puerto Rico and compete in the FIBA Women’s World Cup Qualifying Tournament in March, alongside other stars such as Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, and Kelsey Plum. However, when the players arrived for their first practice with the team, it was Reese who caught everyone’s attention.
The official USA Basketball Instagram account shared a video of the players entering the courts, with Angel leading the way. Covering her face somewhat embarrassed and then letting out a laugh, the Chicago star arrived listening to music on her headphones and wearing a navy blue Nike tracksuit, black sandals, and white socks.
Seeing Reese back in action after her four recent games with Rose BC at Unrivaled was something that excited fans, and they made their support for her very clear:
“I’m glad Reese is on board,” “Angel, we’ve been waiting for you!!!!! LETS GO!!!!!!!!!,” “Angel finally arrived, wishing the team success,” “Barbie has arrived!!” were some of the messages WNBA fans left for Angel.
However, there were those who called her by a curious nickname. Barbie has resonated greatly with the 23-year-old player, and fans have quickly adopted this way of referring to her, the best known being “Bayou Barbie” (in fact, she has it written in her Instagram bio).
Now, internet users have transformed this into “Barbie USA”: “There she goes, USA Barbie,” “Big Barbie time,” “The USA Barbie has arrived,” added other fans enthusiastic about the idea.
Meanwhile, on a team with so many stars, fans will have to get used to the idea that not everyone will shine as brightly as they do in an Unrivaled game or with their WNBA teams. And Angel knows it:
“Everybody’s not going to be able to score 20,” Reese told the media. “So, just being able to come in here and find my niche of what I can do specifically… that I can always bring to the table, is going to be important.”
Meanwhile, the US has already qualified for the tournament, but they will take this opportunity not only to show their rivals and the world the level of talent their players possess, but also to reinforce the chemistry between the players on and off the court.
The competition begins on March 11 in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and will run through March 17. In addition, both the tournament and the World Cup will be broadcast on TNT, amplifying the visibility of women’s sports.
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