What to know about college basketball star Angel Reese's parents

Angel Reese may be one of the biggest names in women's college basketball, but she's not the first in her family to dominate the sport.

The 21-year-old Louisiana State University star forward, who announced April 3 that she's declaring for the 2024 WNBA draft, inherited her love of basketball from her athletic parents, Michael Reese and Angel Webb Reese, who both played the game in college and beyond.

Angel Reese's younger brother, Julian Reese, also followed the family tradition to play basketball for the University of Maryland, the same college Angel Reese played before transferring to LSU after her sophomore year.

Read on to learn more about Angel Reese's sports-loving parents.

Angel Reese and her mom share a first name

Angel Reese and her mom, Angel Webb Reese, share the same first name.

The athlete's mom goes by the nickname "Big Angel," according to a profile of the family on the University of Maryland website.

Her parents both played college basketball

Angel Reese's parents both played college basketball as did several other family members, including Reese's younger brother, Julian, who, like her and their mom, has played for the University of Maryland, according to a profile of the siblings on the college's website.

The LSU forward's mom, Angel Webb Reese, played for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers women’s basketball, and was inducted into the UMBC Athletics Hall of Fame, according to the profile.

She later played for a team in Luxembourg, according to the USA Basketball website.

“She taught me how to play,” the younger Angel said of her mom. “Most of my family plays basketball, so I kind of had to play. I tried ballet, gymnastics, and things like that, but nothing worked except for basketball.”

Angel Webb Reese continued to play after her children were born, her daughter recalled.

“I used to go to my mom’s games when I was younger. She used to play in a little league, and I used to always go watch her games on Sundays. That was something that was always inspiring to me,” Angel Reese told Just Women’s Sports in January 2023.

“She’s always been independent and she molded that into me. I am who I am because of her," she added.

Angel Reese’s dad, Michael Reese, played for Boston College and Loyola and, later, played for teams in Luxembourg, Cyprus, Austria and Portugal, according to Angel Reese’s player profile on the USA Basketball website.

She and her brother Julian have both worn No. 10 jerseys in honor of their mom

In honor of her mom's No. 10 jersey number, Angel Reese wore a No. 10 jersey for her high school, St. Francis Academy in Baltimore, and later, LSU.

Her younger brother, Julian, has also worn the number for the University of Maryland.

“Number 10 is just our number, really,” Julian Reese told Just Women Sports. “Like, when you see number 10, you see the Reese family,"

Angel said her mom raised her and Julian 'by herself'

Angel Reese's parents split when she and Julian were kids. Angel Webb Reese parented the siblings as a single mom in Maryland, according to the athlete.

"My mom is a single mom. She's really independent. She raised me and my brother by herself," Angel Reese told ESPN First Take in April 2023.

Angel Reese later told Women's Health in February 2024 that the free ride to college she got through a basketball scholarship was her way of giving back to her mom after her years of sacrifice.

“My mom worked hard (when I was growing up), raising us by herself,” she said. “So that was my payback to her.”

Angel said her mom 'paved the way for her' by teaching her perseverance

Angel Reese described herself as "passionate" during her chat with ESPN First Take, explaining that her mom's perseverance inspired her to stick to her dreams.

“Looking at her and seeing how she never backed down to anything. She always stood her ground for everything. She worked super hard for me and my brother to get in this position,” recalled the athlete.

“Being able to just look at her and say ‘Mom, you showed me. You paved the way for me,'" she added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com