WASHINGTON — When Juju Reese returned to the Washington Wizards’ locker room Thursday night, he discovered more text messages on his cell phone than he had time to read through. He had interviews to give and postgame stretching to do. Delving into all the well-wishes and messages of congratulations had to wait.
But even after a cursory glance at his phone, he knew one thing for certain about all those messages: “If it’s 1,000 (messages),” he told The Athletic, “500 are from Angel.”
“Angel” is Angel Reese, his supportive older sister and the star for the WNBA’s Chicago Sky and Unrivaled’s Rose BC.
Juju Reese proved that rebounding and tenacity run in his family. Playing in only his third NBA regular-season game, he scored 18 points and collected a whopping 20 rebounds in the Wizards’ 122-112 loss to the Utah Jazz.
“He was like a one-man gang out there rebounding,” Wizards coach Brian Keefe said. “He was terrific. Credit to him.”
Reese’s 20 rebounds in one game lead NBA rookies this season and are the most by a Wizards or Washington Bullets rookie since Tom Gugliotta grabbed 20 boards on Jan. 29, 1993.
According to StatMuse, Angel Reese was the youngest player in the WNBA last season to score at least 18 points and collect at least 10 rebounds in a game. Juju Reese now is the youngest player in the NBA this season to score at least 18 points and collect at least 10 rebounds in a game.
That’s only half the story. Juju Reese played four years at the University of Maryland, went undrafted and ultimately joined the Raptors 905, the Toronto Raptors’ G League team.
One week ago, Reese learned the Wizards wanted to sign him to a two-way contract. He took a plane from Atlanta, where the 905 were playing, back to Ontario to gather his belongings. He then hustled to Washington to join his new team.
Reese — a 6-foot-9 power forward/center who prefers to be called Juju instead of his given name, Julian — made his NBA debut Monday in a hard-fought Wizards loss to Houston, then played Tuesday in Orlando, with Angel in attendance. Playing in front of his sister, who was sitting in a courtside seat, was a highlight.
But his performance Thursday against the Jazz arguably was just as special.
How did he grab all those rebounds?
“Just hustle, just wanting it,” he answered. “I’m not really the biggest guy out there. I just have heart. … I was trying to just master and do the things I’m already good at.”
He sure did that. And he made his new teammates proud.
“Being thrown into the fire like he has (been) this last week, it’s been great to see,” Wizards point guard Trae Young said. “This being his third game and having this type of night, I know he’s excited and he’s happy. But his teammates are just as excited and happy for him as well. Hopefully, he has more of these nights in the future, for sure.”