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LSU star Angel Reese, known for eyelash extensions, painted nails and wild paint play, officially declared for the WNBA draft on Wednesday. Its announcement comes two days after The Tigers’ season ended with a loss to Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the women’s Elite Eight round NCAA Tournament.

Reese, who has expressed interest in working in fashion and modeling, announced her decision via email photo shoot in Voguesaying she was inspired by tennis great Serena Williams, who similarly announced her retirement in 2022.

Reese, who publicly left open the possibility of returning to LSU for one more yr, admitted that she made the decision to turn skilled before March Madness began.

“I obviously like to do things on a large scale,” Reese told the magazine. “I didn’t want anything to be simple.”

“I did everything I wanted to do in college,” added Reese, who also expressed interest in playing professionally in Europe during the WNBA offseason. “I won a national championship, I was the (Southeastern Conference) Player of the Year, I was an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a professional and one of the best basketball players in history. I feel like I’m ready.”

Reese, a dynamic 6-foot-10 forward who can run the floor, guard the court and block shots anywhere, will likely join Clark, Indiana’s expected No. 1 pick, as considered one of the top players drafted on April 15. Draft analysts estimate Reese will go seventh or eighth overall. The undeveloped outside shot is considered one of the few questions on her post-college playing.

Reese grew up in Baltimore and began her college profession at Maryland, where her brother Julian plays on the men’s team. She transferred to LSU in 2022 and The Tigers won the program’s only national title in Reese’s first season.

“She helped transform our program,” LSU coach Kim Mulkey said. “We are all grateful to Angel Reese for the contributions she has made to this program, helping us win our first national championship, and for the contributions she has made to our university as a whole.”

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Reese recorded 61 double-doubles for the Tigers in two seasons. Only Sylvia Fowles had more double-doubles at LSU.

Reese averaged 20.9 points and 14.4 rebounds per game at LSU, including seven games by which he scored not less than 20 points and 20 rebounds. Reese became the first SEC player since Vanderbilt’s Wendy Scholtens in 1989 and 1990 to lead the league in each scoring and rebounding in consecutive seasons.

This season, Reese was named the SEC Player of the Year. Reese played 4 seasons in college but was amongst the athletes granted an additional yr of eligibility by the NCAA as their careers coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“When she came here she said she wanted to stay here for two seasons and she managed to live up to that,” Mulkey said. “It was a rare two years.

“Not only has she helped grow our program, but she has had an impact on the growth of the game of women’s basketball across the country,” Mulkey added. “We wish her the best of luck on her journey to the WNBA and look forward to seeing all of her accomplishments.”

Reese burst onto the scene eventually yr’s LSU championship as a particularly talented basketball player with a dynamic personality – approachable and engaging with fans and media off the court, in addition to trash talk in the faces of her opponents. Reese grew up playing basketball together with her brother and other boys in Baltimore and stated that it forced her to be physically and mentally tough on the court.

She is generally known as “The Queen” amongst her teammates, and will be crowned with a tiara by a teammate during the pre-match presentation.

Since winning the title, Reese has stated that she has received more attention, but maintained that she’s going to proceed to be “unapologetically me”.

Her teammates have defended her leadership and what she’s been through, including earlier this season when she was suspended by Mulkey for 4 games just before Thanksgiving – a time when she said she was taking a mental health break.

“Everyone can have an opinion about Angel Reese, but not everyone knows her,” Flau’jae Johnson said. “I do know the real Angel Reese, and the person I see each day is a robust, caring and loving person. But the crown he wears is heavy. She’s the form of teammate that can make you think in yourself.

Players who didn’t compete in the Elite Eight had until Monday to waive their remaining eligibility. Players like Reese who competed in the Elite Eight or later had about 48 hours after their final game to make a call.

In her final college game, Reese injured her ankle in the second quarter against Iowa and still scored 17 points and 20 rebounds before drawing a foul in the final two minutes of the game.

Reese was considered one of NIL’s highest earners in college, with Estimates put the valuation at $1.8 millionOn3.com. Many of those deals can now change into the form of endorsements that skilled athletes typically earn money from.