Angel Reese releases goodbye video, thanking LSU, fans after declaring for WNBA Draft

LSU Tigers star forward Angel Reese has officially made her decision regarding her basketball future, announcing on Wednesday that she’s declared for the 2024 WNBA Draft.

Reese announced the decision simultaneously on social media as she revealed that she would be gracing the cover of Vogue Magazine. She spoke at length with the magazine about her decision, providing some insight into her decision.

Additionally, Reese released a goodbye video on social media, where she shared how grateful she was for the support throughout her collegiate career, thanking LSU fans. Check it out below.

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Grateful for these last four years and excited for this next chapter. #BAYOUBARBIEOUT pic.twitter.com/EvkzUW08JV

— Angel Reese (@Reese10Angel) April 3, 2024

“All right, let’s do this. Four years, where to begin? To my family, my mom, my MVP. To Baltimore, and the Terps, to LSU. My PMAC home. To my teammates and coaches, managers and trainers. To God, and this blessing of a life. Thank you. All of this is because of you,” Reese said, via her video. “Thank you for loving me and supporting me in everything I do. For standing by me at my lowest, for making every second of the past four years, a dream come true.

“I’m leaving college with everything I ever wanted. A degree. A national championship. And this platform, I could’ve never imagined. This is for the girls that look like me, that’s going to speak up on what they believe in, it’s unapologetic you. To grow up in sports, and to have an impact on those coming next. This was a difficult decision. But I trust the next chapter. Because I know the author. Bayou Barbie out.”

Continuing, Reese shared in her story with Vogue that she was inspired to announce this decision with a fashion photoshoot a la Serena Williams, who announced her retirement from professional tennis in a 2022 Vogue issue with an accompanying photoshoot.

Reese also expounded on the reality that going from the palatial facilities and seemingly endless resources for athletes at LSU to the WNBA is likely to be a slight downgrade in terms of her lifestyle — the Tigers charter flights, while WNBA teams often fly commercial, for instance — but one she looks forward to.

She said she looks forward to being on the bottom rung of the ladder with nowhere to climb but up.

“I want to start at the bottom again,” Reese said. “I want to be a rookie again and build myself back up; I want to be knocked down and learn and grow at the next level.”

And it’s a challenge that Reese is ready to embrace.

“I’ll be working with grown women,” Reese said. “I’ll be working with women that have kids, women that have a family to feed. I’m going to have to work my butt off every single day and grind. And who wouldn’t want that? I don’t want anything in my life to be easy.”

On3’s Andrew Graham contributed to this article.