Angel Reese makes fashion history with her first in Victoria

Angel Reese took her game from the court to the runway and made history along the way.

The Chicago Sky forward became the first professional athlete to walk in the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show on Wednesday, joining the brand’s high-profile “Wings Reveal” lineup in New York.

“It was meant for me,” Reese said during an interview before the show began. “This is it for me. I’m so happy to be sitting in this room with so many incredible models and women. The team that created all of this has been incredible. I’m so excited.”

Reese said he hired a modeling trainer to “perfect my walk.”

“I walk, I sleep, I play basketball,” he said. “And I play basketball, I sleep and I walk.”

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Reese, 23, made her debut on the Victoria Secret runway wearing a pink floral lingerie set adorned with flowers and l.

Ace details, combined with a dramatic feather stole that covers her arms. The shawl was covered in soft pink textures and rosy hues.

The 6-foot-3 Reese donned the signature white angel wings that have defined the show for decades, a new phase for an athlete known for her confidence, charisma and crossover appeal. He walked to “Never Leave You (Uh Oooh, Uh Oooh)” by Lumidee.

Reese is a former national champion at Louisiana State University and the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

“One of her biggest dreams was to walk in this show,” said celebrity stylist Law Roach, a pink carpet co-host who helped reinvent Zendaya, made Celine Dion a fashion icon and is a close friend of Reese.

“We had a conversation. I told him, ‘I don’t think it’s a big dream at all,'” Roach said. “And for that to happen in a year or less, she’s walking in the show and, I mean, she looks stunning, like the hair, the makeup, her presence, she’s ready, she’s excited. That makes me the most proud because she is, among most of the girls that I have, you know, the deepest kind of connection.”

The show was streamed live on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and Prime Video in the U.S. The show is a mix of music and celebrity, with Madison Beer sporting pink wings performing “Make You Mine” with lingerie-clad models strutting down the runway.

K-pop group TWICE also hit the runway performing “This is For” and “Strategy.” Karol G sang “Ivonny Bonita” before walking alone with red wings and a lingerie set.

Reese has become one of the most visible figures in women’s sports. Her style, outspokenness, and social media influence have helped bridge the gap between sports, fashion, and pop culture.

The lingerie exhibition began in 2001 and ran annually for almost two decades. Victoria’s Secret canceled the show in 2019, but brought it back last year, with Reese in attendance.

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News writer John Carucci in New York contributed.