Now, fair to say that the University of Maryland has another legendary athletic family, joining the likes of Bernhardt, Phipps, Griffins, and Jones. It’s the Reese’s now. While Angel Reese knew as early as she could that she was meant to be a hooper, Julian Reese didn’t always have his sights set on basketball. He dabbled in all sorts of sports growing up, football included. But his destiny was sealed by a different MVP: their mom, Big Angel. “At first, I really wanted to play anything,” Julian once said. “I played football a little bit, but my mom is the one that introduced me to basketball. She played in high school and college and was really good. She passed that down to us.”

After that, the two siblings often went head-to-head in their Baltimore driveway and sweated it out together in the off-season, always showing that sibling synergy. Juju, who made waves with the Maryland Terrapins like her sister, has clearly benefited from Angel’s big-sister energy, who has never been shy about her loyalty. She once declared she’d “do anything” for him, which apparently includes moonlighting as his unofficial agent – she’s pitched him to brands like she’s closing a Shark Tank deal. So when Juju finally had his moment in the spotlight, Angel didn’t just cheer from the sidelines. She brought her megaphone and made sure no one in the city missed it.

Well, thanks to the support of the Reese women, Julian “Juju” Reese is officially headed to the pros! He’s signed with the Los Angeles Lakers as an undrafted free agent, as announced by his agency, ADS Sports Management, on social media Friday. And who do you think was the first to break into celebration mode? None other than our Chi-Town Barbie! She wasted absolutely no time in blasting her brother’s big moment across social media. ADS Sports posted a congratulatory poster of Juju, and within minutes, Angel had it up on her Instagram story. Along with it, she added the most Angel caption ever: “OPPORTUNITY. COME ONNNNN.”

While we are yet to see how things will unfold for younger Reese, it is fair to think that the Lakers seem like a good fit. After all, he now gets to learn under LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and JJ Redick. The Lakers, too, who are currently in dire need of a starting big man, might’ve just struck gold. Reese has a real shot to make an early impression. Just ask Austin Reaves, who also went undrafted, joined the Lakers, and ended up playing 61 games as a rookie in 2021.

Furthermore, if there is a person holding a degree in team loyalty and making it count every second, it is Julian. By the time he arrived at Maryland in 2021, most of the current coaching staff was still shaking off the COVID era – and yes, that feels like a century ago in college basketball years. With campus visits shut down and no in-person recruiting allowed, strength and conditioning coach Kyle Tarp had to get creative. So, he phoned someone who definitely had insider info: Angel Reese, then a freshman on the women’s team. Her review? “Oh, he’s a baby. He’s not gonna be able to handle what you do,” Tarp recalled. Well, baby bro could handle it just fine,

Back then, Julian was 17 and still growing into his body, but he walked into the weight room like he owned the place, never complained, and just got to work. And that quiet resilience came in handy, because the next few years? Chaos. His recruiting coach left. His first head coach lasted eight games. Then came a whole new system, a new coach, double-teams every other night, and a freshman teammate stealing the spotlight in his senior season. Most players would’ve packed their bags and hit the transfer portal. But Julian didn’t flinch. One of the rarest breeds in college basketball? Definitely.

So, no wonder Angel Reese is now his biggest #1 fan. She shared another poster of Juju that was originally shared by the Terrapins. Again, in her typical big sister fashion, Angel shared the poster with words everyone would agree with, writing, “Proud is an understatement. TIME TO WORK.”

Another Rebounder Reese enters the pro to continue the legacy

In Maryland’s wild 72–71 win over Colorado State, Julian was in the spotlight. With the clock ticking and high tension, the Maryland big man snagged a crucial offensive rebound and drew a foul on the way back up. Then, cool as ever, he drained both free throws, nudging the Terps ahead 70–68 with 22 seconds on the clock.

Angel Reese wasn’t courtside, but her Twitter account was buzzing with pride. “Sweet 16. Let’s Dance! GO TERPS!” she posted as Julian got his 1,000th career rebound. As the game wrapped up, Julian had racked up 15 points, 11 rebounds, and a perfect 5-of-5 free throws. But amidst the celebration, he hadn’t had the time to check his phone postgame.

However, he really wanted to since he knew that his sister must be dancing and celebrating right now. “I know she’s probably going crazy,” he said. “As far as like rebounding running in the family, I think it’s … we just play the game with so much intensity and just wear our feelings on our sleeves and just try to play our hardest. And I just really didn’t want that to be our last game.”

And well, she was going crazy, and that crazy energy is now doubled in the pros!