Who can really challenge A’ja Wilson? Most would say nobody, not even the reigning MVP herself. But if you’ve been paying attention, there’s a sophomore out there giving her a serious run on the glass. Yep, Angel Reese is already out-rebounding Wilson. She is leading the league at 12.4 boards a game compared to A’ja’s 10.1. The real kicker is that A’ja Wilson saw it coming. “My good friend actually was coaching her at that time, so that’s how I honestly started to follow Angel, and I saw a little bit of myself in her,” she said.

Then came the mic drop: “No matter what I do, I’m gonna make sure that I go all out and give it 100 percent. And I saw that, just the motor that she has, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that is young A’ja 100 percent.’” So when last night, the showdown finally landed, the internet had its name ready: “LIL’ A VS. BIG A.” The Sky may have dropped the game by five, but the night belonged to Reese. She is barely a week removed from a back injury and already back to stealing headlines.

The case in point here is first quarter, Reese planted under the rim, ball in hand, and Wilson looming behind her like a shadow. One swat later, Reese went back up. She smoothly grabbed her own miss (a classic “mebound”), tried again, missed again, mebounded again. It was gritty, messy, and pure entertainment: the league’s top two defenders turning the paint into a battleground. Chicago, though, had more to celebrate. The Sky honored Candace Parker by retiring her #3 jersey alongside the team’s 2021 championship banner she helped the Sky win. So, naturally, someone asked about her successor’s potential.

Candace Parker didn’t hesitate: “I think it is endless, honestly. You look at her body, you look at her ability to get up and down the floor, and I don’t think it’s just on the offensive end—it’s on the defensive end as well.” That grit also showed early when Reese even called out guard Sevgi Uzun for missing her on a fast break. Lil’ A energy, no question. And as Parker summed it up with a smile: “The sky is her limit, no pun intended.”

That statement carried even more weight considering the moment as Angel Reese kept grinding. Before the first quarter ended, even Aces guard Jackie Young got in on the action, rejecting one of her shots. By halftime, Reese had fought her way to three points and seven rebounds (four of them on the offensive end) even as the Sky trailed 44-32. But here’s something that just increases the credibility of Candace Parker’s words…

Angel Reese Silencing the Doubters

Firstly, there’s no margin for doubt in her evaluation of Reese as Parker isn’t just any legend giving advice. She’s the second player in WNBA history to have her number retired by two different franchises. Earlier this summer, Los Angeles raised her jersey to the rafters, honoring the 2016 title she helped bring home. Now Chicago followed suit. This move put her in rare company with Lindsay Whalen, who saw her number go up in both Connecticut and Minnesota.

And if anyone still needed proof that Parker’s evaluation was spot on, they should know that Reese went out and wrote another line in the history books. Monday night, she tallied her 46th career double-double in just her second season. She officially passed Tina Charles’ long-standing record of 45 set during the 2010-11 campaigns. Angel Reese’s night was quintessential Angel: 10 points, 17 rebounds, four assists, three steals, and a block, all in a narrow 79-74 loss to the Aces. It was also her 20th double-double of the 2025 season.

This is just the latest chapter in Angel Reese’s torrid start. She has already posted two historic double-double streaks: 15 straight as a rookie, breaking Candace Parker’s mark of 12. And another unforgettable run of 10 straight this season (technically 11 if you count the game after missing two contests). So when Candace Parker talks about Reese’s “endless” ceiling, it’s clear the legend sees something familiar, because Angel Reese is already climbing a ladder that’s rarely been built this fast.