Angel Reese reveals how she felt when her little brother Julian made it to the NBA: ‘Like I just hit the lottery!’
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The Washington Wizards announced on Feb. 28 that they signed the younger Reese sibling to a two-way contract.
Breakout WNBA star Angel Reese isn’t the only baller in her family. Her little brother, Julian Reese, is officially playing for the NBA’s Washington Wizards, and his big sister couldn’t be prouder.
On Tuesday (Mar. 3), the 23-year-old Chicago Sky forward was spotted getting emotional at her brother’s second NBA game as a rookie for her hometown team against the Orlando Magic, decked out in her brother’s jersey and all.
“As soon as I heard he was going to be on the team, I was like, I need a jersey, especially because they’re coming to Orlando,” she said with a bright smile during an on-court interview. “I usually cheer for Orlando, but tonight I’m cheering for D.C.”
Angel, who is currently dating Orlando Magic player Wendell Carter Jr., teased that she wasn’t exactly “torn” about which team to root for. Just 90 minutes before the game began, Carter was added to the injury report and ultimately sat out the game. When asked for any insight into Julian’s game as his big sister, Angel praised his energy.
“He’s gonna bring that passion,” she gushed. “I mean, he plays really hard, he’s really strong.”
She added that, considering he was a “late bloomer,” watching his development has been especially rewarding.
“I’m really happy for him. I mean I was so emotional when I found out. I was crying so hard like I just hit the lottery,” she said before reflecting on their upbringing in Baltimore, where they were raised by their mother, and how both eventually made their way to the University of Maryland, where they got to play in front of family and friends. She added that the Wizards have a good team.
“I’m happy for D.C.,” she said.
Julian, 22, much like his big sister, is a former Terpian who played at Maryland between 2021 and 2025. He cemented his legacy as only the second player in program history to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. But despite a standout college career, his road to the NBA required some extra grit and hustle.
After going undrafted, he signed with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025 NBA Summer League before later playing for Raptors 905, the G League affiliate of the Toronto Raptors. Finally, on Saturday (Feb. 28), the Wizards announced they had signed the forward to a two-way contract.
He made his debut with the team on Monday, March 2, and made history as the first Wizards rookie to start in his NBA debut in a non-season opener since the ABA–NBA merger during the 1976–77 season.
Basketball runs deep in the Reese family roots. Their mother, Angel Webb Reese, is a Hall of Famer at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she played. Meanwhile, their father, Michael Reese, also played professionally overseas.
After Tuesday’s game, which the Magic ultimately won, Angel reshared footage of herself courtside taking in the game to her Instagram Stories. She followed it up with a collage of three childhood photos of the brother-sister duo.
“Forever us,” she wrote over the post.
"As soon as I heard he was going to be on the team, I was like… I need a jersey." 🫶
Angel Reese is in attendance for her brother Julian Reese’s second career NBA game! pic.twitter.com/W6WGr9Udij
— NBA (@NBA) March 4, 2026