Angel Reese has detailed how she garnered the nickname the ‘Bayou Barbie’.

While the 2024 WNBA season saw Reese and the Chicago Sky go 13-27 in her debut professional season, the 22-year-old earned an All-Star spot after being drafted out of college seventh overall. It was no surprise Reese took like a duck to water in the WNBA following her collegiate success at LSU.

Reese finished up her college career by helping LSU to the top of the mountain, with the Tigers overcoming Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes to win the 2023 National Championship 102-85. It was during that run Reese, nicknamed the ‘Bayou Barbie’, saw her popularity explode.

Recently, the Sky forward donned the cover of Vogue, who she also did an interview for on the magazine’s YouTube channel. And it was here Reese explained where her nickname originate from.

“When I was younger, I used to play with my mom’s make-up when I wasn’t supposed to,” explained Reese. “My Grandma used to always put mascara on my eyes when I was younger and I used to go out on the basketball court. That’s how I got the name ‘Bayou Barbie’, because I always had my nails, lashes, hair done.

Reese added: “I started playing basketball when I was about four and I always loved it. I actually played a whole bunch of different sports and sports was always something growing up in my household because everybody in my family played basketball.

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Angel Reese during her time at LSU

Angel Reese during her time at LSU ( 

Image:

Getty Images)

“I decided to just stick with basketball and just became this…basketball icon for like being into beauty, into fashion for a really long time. Obviously when I went to college, went to LSU, that’s when my life kind of changed and I became the ‘Bayou Barbie’, and it’s been history since then!”

With Reese, who is set to compete in the new 3v3 Unrivaled Women’s Basketball League, now widely known as the ‘Bayou Barbie’, the former LSU star looked to try and capitalize on her newfound stardom by applying to trademark the nickname.

However, the United States Patent and Trademark Office rejected her attempt to trademark the name, citing concerns over potential similarities to Mattel’s popular Barbie doll brand. The USPTO ruled in their decision: “The applicant simply has added “bayou” to the existing registration. Adding a term to a registered mark generally does not obviate the similarity between the compared marks, as in the present case, nor does it overcome a likelihood of confusion under Section 2(d).”