In basketball, the “triple threat” is a fundamental position that gives a player three immediate options: to shoot, pass or dribble.
By holding this stance, a player becomes unpredictable, protecting the ball from the opposition and gaining a clear view to decide their best move.
WNBAÂ star Angel Reese is so much more than the standard “triple threat” on the court; she is a multifaceted force redefining what it means to be a modern athlete.
Blending elite athleticism with a powerful personal brand, Reese is leading a new generation of stars transforming the world of women’s professional sports.
The Chicago Sky forward assumes many roles. She is an NCAA champion and a two-time WNBA All-Star, as well as an entrepreneur, podcaster, model, actress, style icon, and philanthropist intent on empowering the next generation.
Shaking things up on and off the court, the 23-year-old led the WNBA in rebounding during her 2025 sophomore season, becoming the fastest player in league history to record 500 points and 500 rebounds.
Beyond the hardwood, Reese was the first-ever professional athlete to walk the runway at the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, the first WNBA player to grace the cover of American Vogue and one of the first active players to enter professional sports ownership by acquiring a stake in USL Super League team, DC Power Football Club.
As of late last year, Reese has also added sneaker designer to her résumé with the launch of her first signature shoe, the Angel Reese 1, in partnership with Reebok.
While visiting Australia for the first time to celebrate the collection’s global rollout, Reese addressed criticism that she is often checked out of the game.
Defying the low expectations often placed on female athletes, she asserted that her off-court ventures only fuel her drive to dominate the sport.
“I think as a women’s basketball player, not a lot of people expect me to do everything else,” she said at the tour launch in Sydney this week.
“Nobody expected me to walk the runway with Victoria’s Secret. Nobody was expecting me to have my own shoe.
“There’re so many barriers that I’ve had to break and had to hear the outside noise that, ‘She’s not focused on basketball’, but I continue to come back with even more.
“I think it’s just me blocking out the noise and just continuing to thrive through.
“I work hard for every single thing.
“I don’t half-ass anything, when it comes to basketball, to fashion, to my podcast, to entrepreneur, to my community. Everything I put full effort into.
“So, I think, it was hard to accept the fact that I can do everything. There’s nothing that I can’t do, but we’re going to normalise that.
“Women can do anything they put their minds to.”
Reese stands at the intersection of sport and elite fashion.
As a trendsetter in the footwear and style industry, her every look is closely observed and highly influential to her combined social media following of nearly 12 million.
In 2025, she further cemented this title as a member of the Met Gala Hosting Committee — a rare honour for an active professional athlete.
Raised by women who taught her that appearance and performance are not mutually exclusive, Reese rejects the stereotype that an athlete needs to look excessively “tough” or “masculine” to be taken seriously.
Instead, she uses beauty and glamour — from perfectly styled hair, bespoke nails and her signature eyelash extensions and mascara — as a mental tool, challenging opponents to reconcile her polished image while she simultaneously dominates them on court.
“My Mum, my Mum is fly,” she said when asked where her style inspiration originates.
“My Grandma also always made sure I looked good, even on the basketball court.
“She would brush my hair really nicely and put mascara on me, and she always told me, ‘Never let anybody see your mascara run. Just go out there and just feel beautiful, but also go out there and play super hard’. It has got me to where I am today.
“I think really it’s important for women to still be able to be themselves.
“I’ve always been a pretty girl on the court, but I’m also going at you for sure. So, that’s just kind of how I align my brand.”
Reese’s podcast, Unapologetically Angel, has become a major pillar of her personal brand.
Weary of how she has been portrayed by traditional media, Reese uses her podcast as a platform for media independence.
By leveraging her voice, she feels she is reclaiming her image from a long-standing media narrative that has often villainised both her and her career.
“Being able to have my own voice, I think, is really important, especially the way the media is these days, just being able to continue to take control of the narrative,” she said.
“I can bring my own news on my own podcast. I can say what I want on my own podcast, and also just being able to bring guests on who can be themselves.
“I think sometimes when people go on podcasts or are interviewed, they feel like it’s a catch, and I always tell my guests, like, guys, we’re here to have a good time. We’re having a ball. I’m a girl’s girl.
“I have had a lot of amazing women, also males, but all the amazing women that I’ve been able to have on my podcast have meant a lot to me, and I think it’s important to collide basketball with fashion, to acting, and artists. So, it’s been really fun.”
