The Chicago Sky ace caught the attention of the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year

Angel ReeseLAPRESSE

Angel Reese, the Chicago Sky forward, made history as the first professional athlete to participate in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, drawing widespread attention from sports fans and fashion followers alike – including from Paige Bueckers.

The Dallas Wings guard publicly praised her for her achievement as Bueckers, voted the 2025 WNBA Rookie of the Year, commented on Reese‘s social media post from the runway.

“Strutted your stuff,” Bueckers commented on the post, before the short message quickly circulated across platforms, showing support from a rival athlete to what Reese described the experience as the culmination of a lifelong aspiration.

“It means everything to me,” Reese said to E! Online. “I’m just really excited to be here. There are so many great people and women who have done this.

“I get to sit in the room with the top, top, top models. Just being here and being in this moment – I’m grateful and graceful and I’m really gonna enjoy it.

“I’m not just doing this for me. I’m doing it for everyone who looks like me. And know that you can be anyone you want to be in this world.

“People are going to tell you ‘no.’ You’re going to get a thousand ‘no’s, but that one ‘yes’ is going to get you in the door and let you be whoever you want to be.”

Bueckers’ recognition of Reese reflects the respect both players hold for one another despite competing at the highest levels of the WNBA. Bueckers had a standout rookie season, leading Dallas in scoring and earning Rookie of the Year honors.

Reese’s own profile has risen both on and off the court. As one of the league’s premier rebounders, she has leveraged her performance to expand into modeling and endorsements, becoming a prominent figure in sports and pop culture.

WNBA CBA update: Will Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers get a pay rise?

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) between the WNBA and WNBA Players Association (WNBPA) is due to expire at the end of the month, and with the deal marking a cornerstone moment in women’s basketball history, is a deal close?

So far, negotiations have been slow, with no new agreement finalized as of October 23 and when asked if a deal would be reached by the Oct. 31 expiration, and the WNBPA’s own legal counsel has said not to get hopes up.

“Unfortunately, I’m not confident,” Erin Drake said on the Good Game with Sarah Spain podcast, and players have also expressed mounting frustration with the stalled talks, for example, the WNBPA vice president, Napheesa Collier.

She criticized WNBA leadership in September, describing it as the “worst … in the world” in a high-profile exit interview, receiving support from multiple league stars.

While the expiration deadline approaches, the league and players could agree to an extension allowing negotiations to continue into November as this CBA cycle is widely regarded as one of the most consequential in WNBA history.

Outcomes potentially affecting compensation and benefits for stars like Reese and Bueckers but also the likes of Caitlin Clark and A’ja Wilson so the athletes’ growing influence on and off the court highlights the stakes for future earnings.