Angel Reese Finds Time for Met Gala Debut Between Practice and Preseason

For women’s college basketball players, the quick turnaround time between the NCAA tournament, the WNBA draft, moving cities, their professional season starting, and receiving a degree already makes for a packed spring schedule. One player isn’t stopping there, though.

Angel Reese left Chicago Sky practice early Monday for a “prior engagement.”

The rookie hopped on a plane to New York and posted on X: “one thing about me… IMA MAXIMIZE MY 24hrs,” along with a blushing emoji.

That night, she made her debut at the Met Gala, the undisputed biggest night in fashion. It was also her birthday.

“I’ve always dreamed of this moment, so being here on my 22nd birthday is amazing, so I’m excited,” Reese said in an interview at the event.

Reese wore a sparkly mint-green dress from 16Arlington by Marco Capaldo. The gown had a halter top and deep v-neck that met in a feathery bunch at the waist, with a sheer skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, though it was slicked back without the signature headband she wears on the court.

Reese will head back to Chicago for a Tuesday night preseason matchup against the New York Liberty. Her first preseason game wasn’t available for broadcast or streaming, so fans tuned into a massively popular livestream on X. Reese had 13 points and nine rebounds in the loss to the Minnesota Lynx.

As she’s achieved some of the biggest accomplishments in sports—winning a national title and becoming a top-10 draft pick—she’s also burst onto the scene in fashion and modeling. Just a month after being the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in 2023, Reese modeled for Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition. Last month, she announced her decision to declare for the WNBA draft through an exclusive with Vogue, then wore a look styled by the magazine’s fashion editor when she went No. 7 to the Sky. Reese recently said in a video for the Sky’s social media that if she didn’t play basketball, she would become a model, and added that she also wants to own a team at the end of her playing career.

Reese wasn’t the only athlete showing out at the Met Gala. Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets wore a Thom Browne suit and carried a briefcase with a large clock on it, which led many fans to poke fun at the lack of playing time he’s had in the NBA due to injuries. Venus and Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Odell Beckham Jr., and LPGA star Nelly Korda were also in attendance.

Coincidentally, Reese also wasn’t the only Sky rookie attending a red carpet event Monday night. Kamilla Cardoso also left practice early for the screening of her Netflix docuseries Full Court Press with Caitlin Clark and Kiki Rice in Indianapolis, documenting their 2023–24 college basketball season. Unfortunately for the national champion, a shoulder injury in that preseason game against the Lynx will keep Cardoso out for the next four to six weeks.