Angel Reese, Flau'jae Johnson to provide commentary for Bleacher Report during WNBA Draft

LSU stars Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson might not be eligible for the WNBA Draft, but they’ll still be involved Monday night. Sports Business Journal tweeted that the pair will host a watch-along for Bleacher Report during the draft.

Reese and Johnson will provide commentary on the first-round selections and discuss their national championship run. They helped lead the Tigers to a 102-85 victory against Iowa on April 2 to claim the first title in program history.

The national championship was the most-watched women’s title game in history, garnering an average of 9.9 million viewers and peaking at 12.6 million. That has resulted in plenty of press and NIL deals for Reese — the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player — and her teammates.

Reese has seen her NIL valuation skyrocket since the championship win, going from $392,000 on March 28 to $876,000 as of April 4. That is an increase of 124% and ranks her No. 3 among women’s college basketball players according to On3. Johnson ranks fifth with a valuation of $752,000.

Neither Angel Reese nor Johnson is eligible to enter the WNBA Draft, as the rules state that players must be 22 years old or a college graduate. However, Reese recently said that she is “not in a rush” to go pro thanks in part to the multitude of opportunities that have come her way of late.

“I’m not in a rush,” Reese said via the I AM ATHLETE podcast. “I’m chilling right now. I am in no rush to go to the league. The money I’m making is more than some of the people that are in the league that might be top players.”

Reese averaged 23 points and 15.4 rebounds per game this past season to lead the SEC in both categories. Johnson, a freshman, finished third among LSU players with 11 points per game along with 5.9 boards. With their returns, the Tigers will have a good chance at defending their championship in 2023-24.

Although Reese and Johnson aren’t eligible for the draft, their teammates Alexis Morris, LaDazhia Williams and Jasmine Carson are. Morris, who averaged 15.4 points, 4.1 assists and 1.8 steals per game in 2022-23, was one of 15 players invited to attend the draft in person. She is projected to go 15th overall according to the latest ESPN mock draft.

The WNBA Draft is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET on Monday and will be televised on ESPN.