Angel Reese is ready to bring her NCAA impact to the WNBA

Angel Reese is eager to see the record-breaking attention women’s basketball has garnered over the past month bleed into the WNBA.

The former LSU standout, projected to be a top-10 selection in the 2024 WNBA Draft on April 15, said Friday that “being able to raise women’s sports is amazing,” as this year’s NCAA women’s tournament drew in massive viewership — a record-smashing 12.3 million broadcast watchers tuned in this month to watch the Tigers face Caitlin Clark’s Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight showdown.

“I think I’ve done a lot in college and so many different players have done the same thing. Being able to take this to the W is where you want to do it at. And I think they deserve it, especially the vets. I mean they’ve done a great job, laying the groundwork for us,” the 21-year-old Reese said while performing a pre-draft “shift” at Raising Cane’s in Astor Place in Manhattan.

Less than a week after Clark and the Hawkeyes defeated the reigning champion Tigers, 94-87, a record-setting average of 18.7 million watched the championship clash between Iowa and South Carolina on Sunday, with the Gamecocks capping off an undefeated season with an 87-75 win.

That viewership crushed the 14.8 million who watched the men’s final between Purdue and eventual champion UConn one day later, along with any other basketball game, men’s or women’s and college or professional, since 2019.

“It’s crazy how the game is going right now and being able to surpass the men. It’s exciting and I think our games are so much more interesting right now and so many people are tuning in and watching us,” Reese said. “I love it. Being able to be a part of this, I want to be a great player but I always want to leave my impact, and I think I’ve done that.”