Angel Reese is making WNBA history this season as a rookie.
The Chicago Sky forward, a first-round draft pick, became the first player in league history to achieve 20 rebounds in consecutive games. She accomplished this feat in the recent matchups against the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury.
Angel Reese scored 13 points and grabbed 20 rebounds on Friday, becoming the first WNBA player with back-to-back 20-rebound games. She also becomes the first rookie in NBA or WNBA history since Shaquille O’Neal in April 1993.
— ESPN Women’s Hoops (@ESPN_WomenHoop) August 24, 2024
Although the Sky lost both games, Reese’s achievement stands out as a record-breaking performance.
She joins Shaquille O’Neal as the only rookie in WNBA or NBA history to secure 20 rebounds in consecutive games since his feat in 1993.
Tina Charles is the only other WNBA rookie to achieve 20 or more rebounds in two games during the 2010 season. Meanwhile, Sylvia Fowles and Jonquel Jones have also accomplished multiple 20-rebound games in a single season.
Reese has reached double-digit rebounds in 24 out of 29 games this season, setting and tying career-highs in her last two games. Her previous high was 18 rebounds against the Atlanta Dream in July.
Prior to this season, Reese recorded double-doubles in 10 consecutive games and extended the streak to 15 games, totaling 21 double-doubles in 29 games this season.
Leading the WNBA in rebounds with an average of 12.6 per game, Reese is on track to break records for the highest rebounding average in a season and total rebounds, currently held by Sylvia Fowles.
She also has a chance to surpass Yolanda Griffith’s record for offensive rebounds per game and total offensive rebounds in a season.
With this impressive performance, the competition for the WNBA Rookie of the Year award between Reese and Caitlin Clark remains exciting with 12 games left in the regular season.
