22-year-old Angel Reese has fulfilled her wish to retire her mother.

As AFROTECH™ previously told you, the WNBA player for the Chicago Sky is vocal about how her mother, Angel Webb Reese, has influenced her journey. Beginning at 4 years old, Reese was courtside at her mother’s games.

“I used to go to my mom’s games when I was younger. She used to play in a little league, and I used to always go watch her games on Sundays. That was something that was always inspiring to me,” Reese explained to Just Women’s Sports. “She’s always been independent and she molded that into me. I am who I am because of her.”

Angel Webb Reese, who played basketball for the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), was inducted into its Athletics Hall of Fame, notes Today. She also went on to have a professional career in Luxembourg.

Her daughter is carrying the basketball torch while also making strides beyond the sport in business, guided by her agents, Jeanine Ogbonnaya and Gina Paradiso. As a player representing Louisiana State University — which led to an NCAA women’s college basketball championship in 2023 — she secured millions in name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. She also became Reebok’s first-ever major NIL signing, and their partnership continued into the WNBA, leading to a multi-year endorsement contract extension in 2024. Most recently, Reese has taken her talents to Unrivaled, a 3-on-3 women’s basketball league offering the highest salary in women’s sports, and is making history at McDonald’s with the first female athlete meal sponsorship.

 

As Reese continues to scale her brand, she understands her success is not solely for her benefit but to also share with those around her. Most recently, she surprised her mother with the ultimate birthday gift — paying off her mortgage and officially securing her retirement. It had been a long-held goal she was determined to fulfill.

“Before we sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ you said that if your mortgage was paid off that you would retire or you won’t work,” Reese said on her “Unapologetically Angel” podcast. “You can pick if you want to work still, your mortgage today has been paid… I don’t know if you are, you still going to work… You don’t have to work anymore.”

The moment brought her mother to tears. You can check out the moment in its entirety below.