Angel Reese is well on her way to becoming a cultural icon.
Whether making a statement through fashion, lending her voice via her podcast, Unapologetically Angel, or showcasing her gifts and talents through basketball, Reese is that girl on and off the court. She’s teamed with McDonald’s for a historic new meal.
What is the Angel Reese Special?
The Angel Reese Special, which includes a BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese and a new BBQ sauce as bold as Bayou Barbie herself, is a special moment for Reese, who can recall stopping by the fast-food chain as a child to grab her favorite meals, and for McDonald’s. She’s making history with the first meal offered by a female athlete.
“It was a dream come true for me — growing up, eating McDonald’s all the time as a kid, and saving my little bit of money, and going on the dollar menu and getting what I want, and then just being able to know, like how much they’ve been into sport,” Reese told Blavity in a recent interview. “My No. 1 dream when I was in high school was to be a McDonald’s All-American.”
While that particular dream didn’t come true then, it has become even more significant, where fans of Reese’s and the fast-food chain can grab her new special meal.
“I always tie that back that I wasn’t able to play in the McDonald’s All-American Game because of COVID, and this is the closest I’ll ever get to it, so just being able to do that with the McDonald’s All-American Games coming up, and being incorporated, that was important.”
She added, “I think accessibility is the most important thing for me when it comes to being a woman and being in women’s sports and being able to be the first, I mean, I’m on billboards, people are going to be able to go to McDonald’s and get a cup with my name on it and a box with my name on it, so just being able to see that. … It’s hard to put in words, but I’m blessed that they could pick me to be the first.”
Angel Reese has McDonald’s money now.
The feat is a long way from Reese being a child and knowing just how far $5 at McDonald’s used to go, especially for those days that her mom posed the question of whether she had McDonald’s money when asking to get her go-to McChicken.
“My mom used to always say, ‘We got food at home. If you don’t got McDonald’s money, we ain’t going to McDonald’s,'” Reese shared, chuckling. “Just being able to circle back and have this moment and have that as my memory is really cool.”
As someone in high demand for the waves she’s making in women’s sports and as a member of the WNBA with the Chicago Sky, Reese understands that all money isn’t good money. That’s why she is intentional about the partnerships she aligns herself with.
Unapologetically, Angel is non-negotiable.
For her, authenticity is key when inking new deals.
“I’m not going to post anything that doesn’t align with my brand,” Reese stated. “I’ve been at McDonald’s since I was a kid. Obviously, I can’t eat as much to go along with my diet, but I just do whatever I know is good for my heart and what I know aligns with me and my team. And what makes the most sense is being the first, who doesn’t want to be the first of anything? And the accessibility, like I was talking about going to McDonald’s and being able to get a cup and order my meal is super inspiring.”
“I hope it’s like first of many, many other young women, and women in general are like just inspired that they can do this,” she added. “I try to do things that I know, like, down the road like this is going to be historical. I think also just being able to be a trailblazer is really important.”
She continued, “I want to be the first at a lot of things, but luckily, I’ve had a lot of great women and great people to come before me. I’m talking to Lisa Leslie. I’m talking to Skylar Diggins. They walked so I could run. They’ve been doing this since before my time, and just remembering that so I kind of think of other people in my perspective, of how this can impact them, and how it will look in a great light for women, Black women, women in sports, but also things that align with my brand as well.”
Preparing for a new season
Although Reese was out for the rest of her rookie season due to a wrist injury, that hasn’t stopped her from making plays off the court.
As she prepares to return to the game, the Baltimore native said it starts with getting her mental right by writing the vision and making it plain.
“I make a vision board every year,” Reese shared. “I think manifesting things, like even the biggest, craziest things — like I manifested I wanted to meet Rihanna and met her the next week. I manifested a couple of years, or just a year or two ago, that I wanted to meet Beyoncé, and I met Beyoncé. I wanted to be on the cover; I got the cover. Like the wildest things, it’s crazy.”
Reese added, “When I won the national championship, I put a court, a basketball hoop, and a trophy on top. I never thought I was going to win a national championship….and the first year I went to LSU, I won a championship. I think the tongue is super powerful. When you say certain things, you put in the air like things that are going to happen.”
Additionally, the WNBA star has learned to use doubt as a fuel for motivation.
“I think people that doubt me and don’t think that I can do it all really inspires me and fuels me every day when I wake up in the morning, like ‘Oh, they think Angel slacking.’ Angel coming with this! They don’t even know this is coming, like Boom! Boom! I’m hitting them every single time, and when you think you sleep, I wake you back up. I have a slogan, like, ‘When they sleep on you, tuck them in,’ and that’s kind of like my mindset.” Reese added, “When y’all think y’all sleep, like I bet I’m pulling something else out the bag.”
Lastly, Reese moves and operates like the queen (and Bayou Barbie) she is with the most essential trait: confidence.
“That’s why I have my foundation, instilling confidence into women and empowering women, like you walk that walk. People gonna feel you when you walk in a room having that type of aura, so I think that’s also really important.”
When can I grab the Angel Reese Special?
The Angel Reese Special will be available nationwide at McDonald’s starting Feb. 10.
