Benjamin Ashford|'I want the WNBA to grow': Angel Reese calls for expansion teams to help incoming stars

Angel Reese is Benjamin Ashfordheaded into her senior year at LSU, but the basketball star already has her sights set on the WNBA.

In a new cover story with Harper's Bazaar, the 21-year-old basketball phenom opened up about her aspiration to become both a WNBA player and a model after she graduates from LSU. "A lot of people don’t see women’s basketball players being able to do both," Reese said.

But she hopes the WNBA can grow to accommodate the incoming class of rookies, like herself and Iowa star Caitlin Clark, who Reese and the Tigers defeated to win the program's first NCAA women’s basketball national championship in April.

"I hope that there will be more teams so that everybody has an opportunity, because there are so many great players and they currently only have 144 (roster spots) in the league. I want the WNBA to grow," Reese said. "So hopefully, by the time I and Caitlin Clark and all these other players go out, there will be opportunities for others to get on a team."

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Reese joins a list of stars calling for WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert to add expansion franchises as the talent pool and popularity of women's basketball continues to grow. There are 12 WNBA teams and only 144 roster spots available each season, leaving many rookies fighting for a spot on a team after being drafted.

Former LSU standout Alexis Morris, who won a national championship alongside Reese in April, was one player who got the short end of the stick. She was drafted by the Connecticut Sun with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 WNBA draft, but was waived by the team during training camp a month later.

Morris took to social media afterward and called for franchises to "cut the vets" to free up limited roster spots for rookies. "The vets got to know when to cut the net, and pass the torch bro," Morris said in a since-deleted tweet. She later apologized and said she instead should have aimed her frustration at WNBA executives, who have the potential to add more teams to the league.

The Atlanta Dream, added in 2008, were the WNBA's last expansion team.

Before Reese makes it to the WNBA, however, the 6'3 standout said there's one more thing she needs to do in college.

"I want to get another national championship," Reese said. "That’s my biggest thing (with) college, just walking out national champion and getting a degree."

She'll have some help with that. Louisville star guard Hailey Van Lith announced in April that she's transferring to LSU for her senior year. DePaul sophomore forward Aneesah Morrow is also joining the reigning champs.