Angel Reese is on top of the world.
Her trade from Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream has been a godsend. Both for her and the Dream.
Not only is she a World Cup gold medalist, but also the AP and WNBA Defensive Player of the Year. If that wasn’t enough, the Dream have reached the WNBA Finals, preparing to face the Golden State Valkyries in a best-of-seven series that begins on Saturday.
Reese’s ascent to the top has been remarkable to watch, especially considering where it all began.
From the moment she emerged into the national spotlight, she became a lightning rod for a toxic culture war that she didn’t ask for or invent.
When she led her LSU Tigers over Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA national championship, celebrating with the (in)famous “you can’t see me” gesture, Reese ignited the ire of those who cannot handle to success of a confident, young Black woman, unleashing a flurry of racist and sexist rhetoric directed her way that hasn’t ceased.
As she went through all the trials and tribulations as a member of the Sky, the organization that drafted her No. 7 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft, there were those who were banking on her to fail to suit their political and cultural ends, where Black women are undervalued, underappreciated and underprotected.
But now, Reese is on the cusp of reaching the pinnacle of success, and those on the outside with venom in their soul will have their chickens coming home to roost.
That same reckoning mirrors that of another prominent Black woman who has been under similar scrutiny, but has stayed her confident, unapologetic self: Megan Thee Stallion.
Much like Reese on the basketball court, Stallion mirrors a similar ethos on stage. She has become the latest extension of a rich history in hip hop of women being completely liberated in virtually every aspect of their being. Megan combines the super-charged bravado of MC Lyte with the bodily autonomy of Lil’ Kim. She can be her full authentic self without compromise.
And much like what Reese has had to go through, Megan has felt the brunt, particularly following 2020 incident in which she was shot by her then-boyfriend Tory Lanez. In December 2022, Lanez was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, possession of a loaded, unregistered firearm in a vehicle, and grossly negligent discharge of a firearm.
Lanez and his legal team argued that he didn’t fire the shot, suspecting a third-party, and have filed appeals. Nevertheless, Lanez received support from prominent hip-hop artists, whereas Megan has been portrayed as the villain and subjected to vicious victim-blaming.
The paths of Reese and Megan would eventually collide and they have cultivated a sisterhood rooted in mutual respect and shared experiences of what it is like to be young Black women standing in their truths no matter what.
As Dr. Bettina Love, William F. Russell Professor at Teachers College, Columbia University said to Swish Appeal:
I mean, come on, they both about they business,
They both are absolutely gorgeous, drop-down gorgeous, but don’t let that fool you, right?
Brilliant, smart, and in their different arenas, can’t be touched. What I love about both of them is that they will outwork you. They got talent, but they will also outwork you. In the studio, or on the floor. They will outwork you, baby. That is something I love.
If anything, Angel Reese and Megan Thee Stallion are reflective of the times.
They exude Black womanhood that reflects full liberation. They take ownership over their narrative using the multitude of platforms available with the touch of a button. They showcase what it means to be resilient in it’s broadest definition. They also aren’t one-dimensional success stories.
Dr. Love further explained:
What they’ve gone through and the way they’ve held their heads up and the way they’ve stood, against it all and prevailed against it all, is just a testimony to their strength.
And their talent, right? Talent will always rise to the top. Talent will always rise to the top. Even off the court, those personal battles that they have had with the haters and Meg experiencing some of the most violence we could think of for a woman in that way, but they still come back each and every time.
These two women, united, will never be defeated.
