LSU Professional Athletes

Angel Reese just had one of the most historically dense weeks in WNBA history — and she did it in a Dream uniform, in her first season in Atlanta.

31 Points, a Playoff Berth, and Franchise History

The week opened Sunday, Aug. 23, with Reese torching the Phoenix Mercury for a career-high 31 points to go with 14 rebounds and four steals in a 99-89 Atlanta win. The performance clinched a playoff berth for the Dream and made Reese the first player in franchise history to record 20-plus points and 10-plus rebounds in the same game ten times. The WNBA world took notice immediately — social media buzzed with takes ranging from "unreal" to comparisons that put her ahead of Caitlin Clark in terms of week-to-week impact.

26 Rebounds. Read That Again.

Then came Tuesday. At Crypto.com Arena against the Los Angeles Sparks, Reese put up 11 points, three assists, three steals — and a staggering 26 rebounds, eight of them offensive, in a 78-71 Dream win. The number shattered Chamique Holdsclaw's single-game record of 24, a mark that had stood since 2003. In the same game, Reese also surpassed A'ja Wilson for the most rebounds in a single season in WNBA history. Two all-time records, one night, on the road.

Sparks head coach Lynne Roberts was among those heaping praise on Reese after the game. Teammate Allisha Gray summed up the locker room's reaction in four words. The WNBA's official accounts celebrated the milestone publicly. Comparisons to Dennis Rodman and Pistol Pete Maravich — in spirit, if not in style — flooded the discourse.

Reese herself fired back at a reporter who questioned aspects of her game beyond the glass, making clear she wasn't interested in parsing the noise around a historic performance.

A Rough Friday, But the Records Stand

Friday brought a speed bump: Atlanta fell 101-83 to the Portland Fire, with Reese posting 16 points and 16 rebounds in a losing effort. Even in defeat, the Dream announced another rebounding milestone reached. The records don't pause for losses.

By week's end, Reese had earned a WNBA weekly honor — a formal acknowledgment of what any box score could confirm: no one in the league's history has ever rebounded a basketball quite like this.

A Note on Other LSU Alumni

Flau'jae Johnson had a pair of solid outings for the Seattle Storm, scoring 23 points in a loss to the Wings on Sunday and following it with 20 points in a win over the Tempo on Thursday. Neither performance broke records, but Johnson continued to show she belongs at this level. Aneesah Morrow logged minutes for the Tempo across three games during the period; full stat lines were not available.

The broader LSU alumni story this week, though, belongs entirely to Reese. In seven days, she claimed the WNBA's all-time single-game rebounding record, the all-time single-season rebounding record, a career scoring high, a franchise first, a playoff clinch, and a weekly award. There may not be a rubric for a week like that — because it hasn't happened before.

Angel Reese Is in a League of Her Own

Angel Reese didn't just have a good week. She had a historically untouchable one.

The LSU alumna and Atlanta Dream forward capped a dominant seven-day stretch on Friday night against the Los Angeles Sparks by going a perfect 9-for-9 from the field — including 2-for-2 from three — finishing with 20 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in a 124-88 blowout. The performance placed her in a club of just two other players in WNBA history to shoot perfectly with that volume of attempts. The Sparks' own head coach, Lynne Roberts, made a point to praise Reese publicly after the game.

It wasn't just the efficiency that made the night historic. During the contest, Reese broke her own WNBA single-season offensive rebounding record, surpassing 173 offensive boards on the year — a mark she herself had previously set. The Dream also shattered their franchise scoring record in the process.

Earlier in the week, Reese logged her league-leading 24th double-double of the season — 21 points and 10 rebounds — in a 97-82 win over the Las Vegas Aces on Wednesday. That performance prompted a WNBA analyst to raise the question of officiating equity in the league, arguing Reese's physical dominance near the basket goes persistently uncalled.

The One That Got Away

The week wasn't without its sting. On Sunday against the Indiana Fever, Reese finished with 15 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists, and had the game-winning layup in her hands at the buzzer in regulation — and missed it. The Dream fell 95-91 in overtime, handing Indiana its fourth straight win. Atlanta's coach addressed the moment directly after the game, while Reese herself acknowledged she didn't sleep after the miss. She responded by posting back-to-back double-doubles the following Wednesday and Friday.

Around the Alumni

Aneesah Morrow (Chicago Tempo) had a quietly productive week. The LSU forward put up 14 points and a massive 16 rebounds in a narrow 101-95 overtime loss to the Fever on Tuesday, then added 13 points and 8 rebounds in a Wednesday loss to the Mystics before contributing off the bench in a Saturday win over the Fire.

Flau'jae Johnson (Seattle Storm) saw time on Sunday against the Sky, chipping in 5 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and a steal in an 82-80 loss — a well-rounded line for a player still carving out her role at the next level.

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The throughline for LSU this week is Reese, who is making a legitimate case not just for WNBA MVP, but for an all-time statistical legacy. A perfect shooting night, a broken record she set herself, and 24 double-doubles in a single season — the résumé speaks for itself.

Angel Reese Is Rewriting the Record Books

Angel Reese had a week that demanded attention — and not just for the pink Reebok sneakers.

The Atlanta Dream forward recorded her 21st double-double of the season Wednesday in a 96-82 win over the Phoenix Mercury, breaking an impressive WNBA record in the process. She finished with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists, helping Atlanta climb to fourth in the league standings. The milestone came just two days after she posted 23 points and 16 rebounds in an 87-109 loss to the Las Vegas Aces — her 20th double-double of the year — a performance that kept WNBA social media deeply, characteristically divided.

Reese's historic stretch hasn't come without turbulence. On Friday, the Dream fell 79-74 to the Washington Mystics, with Shakira Austin holding the upper hand in their individual matchup. Reese finished with just 7 points on a tough shooting night — though she still hauled down 16 rebounds and added 2 steals. A controversial foul call on teammate Rhyne Howard in the closing minutes became a flashpoint, and the loss dropped Atlanta to 19-12, raising questions about their playoff ceiling heading into the final stretch of the season.

Off the court, Reese made history of a different kind: Monday's "Barbie Night" game against the Aces marked the launch of her collaboration with Mattel and Reebok, making her the first Black WNBA player to have a signature Barbie doll. The cultural moment arrived on the same night as one of her most statistically dominant performances of the season.

Flau'jae Johnson Turns Heads in Seattle

While Reese was dominating headlines in Atlanta, Flau'jae Johnson was making a statement of her own in the Pacific Northwest.

The Seattle Storm rookie dropped 25 points in Monday's 83-95 loss to the New York Liberty — a burst of scoring that earned praise from none other than A'ja Wilson, according to CBS Sports. Johnson also recorded 3 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals in the effort. She followed that up Wednesday with a more measured 11-point, 4-rebound outing in another Storm loss to New York, 86-92.

The defeats stung, but Johnson's upward trajectory is unmistakable. In her CBS Sports interview, the rookie spoke candidly about staying optimistic through a rough stretch and trusting her process — a mentality that's resonating well beyond Seattle.

Morrow Makes Her Mark in Toronto

Aneesah Morrow, now with the Toronto Tempo, made an immediate impression in her debut, hitting a three-pointer from the top of the arc and following it with an and-one finish in the paint against the Golden State Valkyries. Her week was a mixed bag statistically — 8 points and 5 rebounds in a Wednesday loss to Golden State, then 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals in a Friday defeat to the Chicago Fire — but her physical, versatile play is already drawing notice on a new roster.

Three LSU alumnae. Three different franchises. One unmistakable footprint on the 2026 WNBA season.