LSU’s Kim Mulkey honors outgoing star Angel Reese as she prepares for WNBA Draft amid anthem uproar: Coach says ‘soon-to-be graduate inspired countless individuals’ and tells her to ‘keep growing the game’

Angel Reese’s critics may remember her college basketball career for a few controversies, but to the coach who knows her best, Bayou Barbie was pivotal to women’s soccer.

LSU’s Kim Mulkey paid tribute to her outgoing power on social media after the Tigers’ season-ending loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the Elite 8.

Using three “check mark” emojis, Mulkey listed three of Reese’s biggest achievements from her time in Baton Rouge: “National champion; Soon to graduate from @LSU; Inspired countless individuals, young and old.’

She left Reese with one final message: “Keep expanding the game @angelreese10.”

Reese, a 6-foot-2 junior, announced this week her decision to declare for this month’s WNBA Draft following Monday’s loss in Albany, which once again found the Baltimore native at the center of controversy . This time, the uproar focused on LSU’s absence from the field during the playing of the national anthem prior to the game.

But unlike Colin Kaepernick’s protests against racist police brutality during his days in the NFL, Reese and her teammates didn’t appear to be sending a message. Rather, their pre-game routine simply conflicted with the NCAA’s and as a result, LSU was still in the locker room during the playing of the national anthem.

“Honestly, I don’t even know when the national anthem was played,” Mulkey said after Monday’s loss. ‘We have a sort of routine where they lie on the floor and come off after twelve minutes. I don’t know, we come in and do our pregame stuff. I’m sorry, listen, none of that was done on purpose.”

The star power forward known for her eyelash extensions, painted fingernails and ferocious play in the paint formally declared for the WNBA draft on Wednesday.

Reese, whose career interests also include modeling and fashion, announced her decision via a photo shoot in Vogue and said she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams who announced her retirement in 2022 in a similar manner.

Until LSU’s season ended, Reese publicly left open the option of returning to the Tigers. But she acknowledged that she decided to turn pro before March Madness started.

“I did everything I wanted to do in college,” added Reese, who has also expressed interest in playing professionally in Europe during the WNBA offseason. “I’ve won a national championship, I’ve been (SEC) Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to become a professional – and be one of the best basketball players ever. I feel like I’m ready.”

Reese, a dynamic 6-foot-4 forward who can run down the court, guard the perimeter and block shots from anywhere, will likely join Clark, Indiana’s projected No. 1 pick, as one of the top players on April 15 was drafted. Draft analysts have Reese projected as a seventh or eighth overall pick. An undeveloped outside shot is one of the few questions about her game when she leaves college.

Reese spent the evening after the announcement attending an NBA game in New Orleans between the Orlando Magic and the Pelicans. She sat courtside with former LSU teammate Amani Bartlett, known for placing a crown on Reese’s head during pregame introductions last season. Reese was seen on the arena’s video board and received enthusiastic applause.

Reese grew up in Baltimore and started her college career in Maryland, where her brother Julian plays for the men’s team. She transferred to LSU in 2022 and the Tigers won the program’s only national title in Reese’s first season.

“She helped transform our program,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We are all indebted to Angel Reese for the contributions she has made to this program, which enabled her to win our first national championship, and for the contributions she has made to our university as a whole.”

Reese recorded 61 double-doubles in two seasons for the Tigers. Only Sylvia Fowles had more double-doubles at LSU.

Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game at LSU, including seven games with at least 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese became the first SEC player since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in both scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.

This season, Reese was named SEC Player of the Year. Reese has played four college seasons, but was one of several athletes granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA because their careers overlapped with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When she came here, she said she wanted to be here for two seasons and she made that happen,” Mulkey said. ‘What a special two years it has been.

“She not only helped grow our program, but also had an impact on the growth of women’s basketball across the country,” Mulkey added. “We wish her the best of luck in her move to the WNBA and look forward to all she accomplishes.”

Reese burst onto the scene during LSU’s championship run last year as an extremely talented basketball player and dynamic personality – approachable and engaging with fans and media off the court, talking into the faces of her opponents. Reese grew up playing basketball with her brother and other boys in Baltimore, and she has said it made her physically and mentally tough on the court.

Since winning the title, Reese said there has been more attention on her, but she insisted she would remain “unapologetically me.”

Her LSU teammates, who sometimes referred to her as “the Queen,” defended her leadership and what she’s been through — including once earlier this season when she was suspended for four games by Mulkey just before Thanksgiving — the time she used to become a … taking a selfie -described mental health break.

“Everyone can have their opinion about Angel Reese, but y’all don’t know her,” Flau’jae Johnson said. “I know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see every day is a strong person, a caring, loving person. But the crown she wears is heavy. She is the type of teammate who makes you believe in yourself.”

Players who did not participate in the Elite Eight had until Monday to forfeit their remaining eligibility. Players like Reese, who competed in the Elite Eight or higher, had about 48 hours after their last game to make their decision.

In what was her final college game, Reese injured her ankle in the second quarter against Iowa and still finished with 17 points and 20 rebounds before fouling out in the final two minutes of the game.

Reese was one of the top NIL earners in college, with a valuation of $1.8 million, according to On3.com. She has had marketing relationships with Coach, Reebok and Mercedes-Benz. Many of these deals could now become the kind of endorsements that professional athletes typically make money from.