Anyone watching former LSU standout and current Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese can’t help but notice how she can run the floor and block shots from pretty much anywhere. But there’s another thing that might catch the eye before the start clock even begins: The forward hits the court wearing a one-leg compression tight.
Turns out, her garment of choice is more than a fashion statement. It plays double duty to give her the confidence she needs to continue to dominate on the floor.
When asked about her signature on-court style at a pregame press conference in March, Reese explained she likes to cover a surgical scar when playing. “I had surgery two years ago on my shin,” she told reporters, referring to a tibia injury that occurred during her freshman year. After the procedure, Reese’s “confidence completely dropped,” as she explained in an interview on the I Am Athlete podcast, and she even questioned whether she wanted to return to her sport. (Thankfully, her surgery was successful and she rebuilt her confidence once she was back on the starting team at the University of Maryland.)
That type of surgery involves inserting a rod into the shinbone, Sean Rocket, MD, a sports medicine doctor at Orthopedics New England who hasn’t treated Reese, tells SELF. The kind of procedure requires an incision that’s a few inches long in the front of the knee near the kneecap, which could leave a noticeable scar, he says.
