Julian “Juju” Reese, the younger brother of WNBA star Angel Reese, is making his mark on the league early in his career. The 22-year-old rising star completed his third game with the Washington Wizards on Thursday. Juju recorded the most rebounds for a rookie this season.
Recently, Juju Reese signed a two-way contract with the Washington Wizards
Juju signed with the Washington Wizards a week ago. The news came after he played for four years at the University of Maryland, remained undrafted in the 2025 NBA draft in June, and joined the Raptors 905, the Toronto Raptors’ G League team, according to The Athletic.
On Monday, Juju made his NBA debut as a forward/center when the Wizards lost to Houston before playing his second game against Orlando on Tuesday. Thursday marked his third-ever game for the league.
Although the Wizards lost 122-112 to the Utah Jazz, Juju made quite the impression. He scored 18 points and made 20 rebounds during the game. In doing so, he recorded the most rebounds in one game by a rookie this season. The last player to achieve such a score by a Wizards or Washington Bullets rookie was Tom Gugliotta back in 1993, according to The Athletic.
“Just hustle, just wanting it,” Juju said about his remarkable performance. “I’m not really the biggest guy out there. I just have heart. … I was trying to just master and do the things I’m already good at.”
Juju also became the first Wizards player to have 10 offensive and 10 defensive rebounds in a game since Antawn Jamison in 2010, according to 247Sports. So far, he’s averaged 9.7 points and 10.7 rebounds on 62.5 percent shooting in 30 minutes per game.
The rookie is also stepping in his sister Angel Juju’s footsteps. Last season, she was the youngest player in the WNBA to score at least 18 points and collect at least 10 rebounds in a game. Now, Juju is the youngest player in the NBA to record the exact same score, according to StatMuse.
Juju Reese has received praise from his peers
Juju said he’s received too many text messages than he had time to read through after the game on Thursday evening.
“If it’s 1,000 [messages], 500 are from Angel,” he said.
His older sister was in attendance during his game against Orlando on Tuesday. She’s taken to social media to highlight her brother’s achievement in joining the NBA.
“My baby brother,” Angel wrote on X when following the news that he signed with the Wizards. “Ugh I’m so proud of you! Your journey has never been easy & you’ve always stayed the course! Let’s go Juju!”
She also celebrated his Thursday performance, writing “JUJU MF REESE” and “what a great night” on X.
Wizards head coach Brian Keefe also praised Juju’s game on Thursday.
“He was like a one-man gang out there rebounding,” he said, according to The Athletic. “He was terrific. Credit to him.”
“We can run our offense through him,” Keefe added, according to Pro Football & Sports Network. “You can see his passing ability. He’s fit, he’s big, he’s physical, he’s a good rebounder.”
Juju also received kind words from his teammate Trae Young, a point guard for the Wizards.
“Being thrown into the fire like he has [been] this last week, it’s been great to see,” he said, according to The Athletic. “This being his third game and having this type of night, I know he’s excited and he’s happy. But his teammates are just as excited and happy for him as well. Hopefully, he has more of these nights in the future, for sure.”