Angel Reese: The Rise, the Fall, and the Silence of a Star Who Almost Was

It was supposed to be her moment. The WNBA All-Star ballot was set to be a celebration of the league’s brightest stars, with names like Caitlin Clark, A’ja Wilson, and Breanna Stewart shining at the top. But there, hovering in the background, was a name that should have been in bold lights: Angel Reese. Yet, as the All-Star list rolled across the jumbotron, it wasn’t her name that blinked back at the crowd. The silence that followed was deafening.

Despite her massive presence both on and off the court, Reese’s absence from the list was the loudest statement of all. It wasn’t just a snub; it was an erasure. The league had moved on—without her.

The Fire That Faded

Once the undisputed face of women’s college basketball, Angel Reese was the embodiment of the sport’s rising star power. Her talent was undeniable—her swagger, unmatched. From the viral stare-downs to the highlight reels, Reese was the definition of a modern athlete: a mix of brand-building genius and raw athleticism. Her time at LSU had set the internet on fire, her every move generating headlines, from game-winning shots to her unapologetic attitude. She was more than just a player; she was a cultural moment.

“I’ll look back in 20 years and say — the reason y’all watch women’s basketball? It wasn’t just her. It was me too,” Reese once boldly declared. And the world listened. Fans and brands flocked to her side, endorsing her every move. She had the look, the appeal, the quotes that went viral, and an Instagram following that rivaled some of the league’s biggest stars.

But in the pros, the spotlight can shift as quickly as it shines. The energy that once defined Reese’s every move began to fade under the harsh lights of the WNBA. The pressure of a professional league is different from the college game—where personalities thrive and are nurtured. In the WNBA, talent alone doesn’t always guarantee success. And for Reese, the reality of this transition was swift and unforgiving.

The All-Star Snub: A Slap to the Face?

When the 2025 All-Star ballot came out, the disappointment was palpable. No Angel Reese. Not in the top 10. Not even in the top 15. Not even a passing mention. The shocking omission sent ripples through the WNBA community, and the internet did what it does best: it exploded.

“13th in votes. 1st in engagement,” one tweet from a Chicago beat writer read, capturing the painful irony. Reese was still the most talked-about player in the league, her name circulating in social media posts, fashion campaigns, and endorsements. But on the court? The votes didn’t follow. “It didn’t sting. It sliced,” said a close source to Reese. The hurt was there, but so was the frustration.

Reddit was on fire with fans expressing their confusion and anger. How could the league, a league that had built its marketing around personalities like Reese, overlook her in favor of more consistent performers? How could someone who dominated headlines with every move—every tweet, every game—be snubbed like this?

In the days that followed, Reese kept her head down. She didn’t respond to the public outcry directly, but stories began to trickle out. “Y’all can keep the love. I’m keeping the mirrors,” she posted, a cryptic message that resonated louder than any angry tweet. Reese was learning something the hard way: presence doesn’t equal production, and in professional sports, only one thing truly matters—performance.

The Ignored Moment: A Star Struggles to Rise

The pressure only mounted as the Chicago Sky faced a golden opportunity on national TV, with Caitlin Clark sidelined by a minor knee injury. It was supposed to be Reese’s chance to shine, to show the world that the All-Star snub was a mistake. But the result was nothing short of a disaster. Four points. Two rebounds. A minus-18 in the box score. The announcers tried to cushion the blow. “There’s pressure, and then there’s presence,” one said, awkwardly shifting the narrative. “Tonight, Reese brought neither.”

Off-camera, a production assistant tweeted, then quickly deleted, “We had six cameras on her. But there was nothing to follow.” The harshness of this comment, though deleted, encapsulated what many were already saying behind closed doors: Reese was a star off the court, but on it, she wasn’t meeting the expectations.

Behind the Curtain: A Lack of Foundation

For all her brilliance off the court, Reese’s game was beginning to reveal cracks. Her defensive slides seemed slow, her footwork was a beat behind, and her jump shot lacked lift. Despite her reputation as the future of the WNBA, her on-court presence wasn’t living up to her off-court persona. Meanwhile, players like Alyssa Thomas were quietly putting up triple-doubles and rookie stars were diving for loose balls, earning praise with every play.

Reese seemed to be coasting on her star power, but the game was demanding more. Fans who once stood behind her were beginning to ask: Where’s the substance?

And yet, Reese’s brand remained strong. She still dominated headlines, signed deals with major companies, and consistently attracted attention for her outfits and pregame moments. The WNBA needed personalities like her, but it also needed results—and that was where the friction lay.

The Quiet Realization

For all the social media buzz, Reese’s biggest challenge was internal. Back in the locker room, after the All-Star snub and the national TV performance that followed, Reese was seen sitting alone, taping her wrist. There were no reporters, no cameras, no teammates rallying behind her. Just silence.

The bright lights of the WNBA, which had once bent around her, seemed to be dimming. And in that moment, she sat alone, the weight of her own expectations pressing down on her more than anything else.

She believed in the hype. Maybe more than anyone ever had. But the league? It had already moved on.

Will Angel Reese Rise Again?

The question now is whether Angel Reese can find a way to rise from this. The WNBA is full of stories of players who have fallen short only to come back stronger. Could Reese’s story become a redemption arc, where she overcomes the external distractions and finally delivers on her potential?

Or will this be the beginning of the end for the player who tried to define the league before she had truly solidified her place in it?

The story of Angel Reese is far from over, but the lessons of her journey have already been written in the whispers of the locker room and the silence of the courts. The only thing louder than her image is the silence that follows her stats.

Time will tell if next year will be different—or if the league has already made its judgment.