CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: Angel Reese 5 of the Atlanta Dream looks on during the first half against the Chicago Sky on April 29, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA APR 29 Preseason Atlanta Dreamagainst the Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260429012
CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 29: Angel Reese 5 of the Atlanta Dream looks on during the first half against the Chicago Sky on April 29, 2026 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA APR 29 Preseason Atlanta Dreamagainst the Chicago Sky EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260429012
As Angel Reese turned her “Bayou Barbie” persona into a statement-making reality, WNBA’s reigning MVP A’Ja Wilson proved she’s all about hyping up her girls.
“I need a Barbie for real,” Wilson told Reese in a postgame moment following the recent Las Vegas Aces vs Atlanta Dream game on August 3, 2026. “This is big for black girls all around the world.”
And big, indeed. Those who have followed Reese since her college days have seen her evolve from LSU's Bayou Barbie to Chicago Sky's Chi Barbie. Though she now plays in Atlanta, the Barbie persona remains her signature.
August 11, 2026, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Las Vegas Aces defeats Washington Mystics 86-76 ending MysticsÃââ 7 game winning streak AJA WILSON 22 during WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA regular season at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas USA - ZUMAo117 20260811_zsp_o117_005 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
August 11, 2026, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA: Las Vegas Aces defeats Washington Mystics 86-76 ending MysticsÃââ 7 game winning streak AJA WILSON 22 during WNBA, Basketball Damen, USA regular season at the Michelob Ultra Arena in Las Vegas. Las Vegas USA - ZUMAo117 20260811_zsp_o117_005 Copyright: xMikaelxOnax
If walking down the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show wasn’t a flex already, Reese is now the first black WNBA player to receive her own Mattel Barbie doll. To make Wilson's remarks even more heartfelt, Reese had a reply.
“Let me see if I got one in the bag; I'll bring a few more,” the Dream Forward chimed in to the Aces star.
However, this brief yet meaningful interaction only exemplified the off-court bond both have publicly celebrated.
The Wilson-Reese Connection
While Wilson is leading the league in scoring, averaging 26.3PPG this season, Reese is the defensive leader, averaging 11.9 rebounds. Both are driven by a similar competitive fire, and the Aces star has been vocal about that since 2024.
“I honestly started to follow Angel, and I saw a little bit of myself in her," Wilson said in 2024 to WSJ. Magazine. “I'm gonna make sure that I go all out and I give it 100 per cent. And I saw that, just the motor that she has. I was like, 'Oh yeah, that is young A'ja 100 per cent.'"
The then 22-year-old Reese also admitted Wilson was her role model and expressed the desire to follow in her footsteps.
“I just love being able to see a woman in sports that thrives through everything,” she said of Wilson to WSJ Magazine, per Athlon Sports Angelo Guinhawa. “So just being able to look up to her and look at her and see, like, that’s where I want to be one day, just thrive and walk in her footsteps.”
Same team or not, some bonds do stand the trials of time, and Wilson-Reese will tell you that!
Can you name another W duo like them? Let us know in the comments.
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Written by
Deblina Roy