Angel Reese of WNBA Chicago Sky spent most of the fourth quarter glued to the bench as she was shut down.

While she was sitting there watching, Kamilla Cardoso of WNBA Chicago Sky dropped a career-high 23 points and completely dominated the court.

The numbers don’t lie – when Reese plays fewer minutes, the Sky actually wins. She’s no Caitlin Clark!

The 2025 NBA draft concluded on Thursday night, and since then, many college stars have signed with NBA teams on two-way contracts, for Summer League or for Exhibit-10 contracts.

One of the latest college players signed to an Exhibit-10 contract was Julian Reese, the brother of WNBA star Angel Reese. The 6’10” big man out of Maryland was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday.

The Chicago Sky star has always been supportive of her family in basketball, and her brother signing with the Lakers was no different. Reese tweeted a message of support for her brother shortly after the news dropped.

“OPPORTUNITY. COME ON JU.”

The younger Reese will have to earn a spot on the Lakers roster if he wants to officially make it to the big league. The Lakers could utilize him on their G-League or Summer League teams. He could eventually sign a two-way contract, too.

Lakers Sign WNBA Star Angel Reese’s Brother

After signing RJ Davis and Eric Dixon as undrafted free agents, the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly added another noteworthy player…and this one has one of the most recognizable basketball-playing sisters in the world.

Maryland big man Julian Reese was the latest free agent player to ink a deal with the Lake Show. If his last name is familiar, it’s because he’s the younger brother of polarizing WNBA player Angel Reese.

Reese steadily improved throughout his four-year career with Maryland. Playing alongside lottery pick Derik Queen, Reese inherited a lot of the ‘dirty work’ responsibilities.

The 6-foot-9 forward often guarded the best big man on opposing teams. Reese averaged over a block per game during his time with the Terrapins. While not a crazy athlete, Reese boasts good enough feel to make life difficult for post scorers.

Where Reese makes his bones is on the glass. He’s a very good rebounder — evidenced by averaging over nine rebounds a game in each of the last two seasons. For good measure, Reese also is an excellent offensive rebounder (averaging 3.0 offensive boards per contest for two-straight years).

Where Reese struggles is as a floor spacing threat. To put it mildly, it’s one of the weaker aspects of his game. Over four years, Reese made only seven threes in 24 attempts. In fact, he attempted only one three-point shot over the last three years. To his credit, Reese does finish at the rim well (connecting on .557 of his field-goal attempts).

Is there a pathway for Reese to make the team?

There’s no secret the Lakers need help up front. Reese would be an undersized center in this situation, Without being able to space the floor at an adequate level, he could clog the lane for drivers and initiators of the offense (namely Luka Doncic, Austin Reaves, LeBron James).

At the same time, the Lakers clearly need someone that can rebound the basketball. As has been the case throughout the history of the NBA, players that rebound at a high clip with tons of energy tend to carve out roles for themselves on successful teams. This could be Reese’s best chance at making the team (if not finding a role in the G-League).