‘Pains me’ – Angel Reese forces Dave Portnoy to admit her brilliance after teaming up with Shaq

The WNBA star has been the face of Reebok Basketball since signing with the company in 2023, and her first signature shoe was announced last week, ahead of the All Star Game.  Reese has also recently been confirmed as a cover athlete for the upcoming NBA 2K26 video game, proving she is one of the most marketable stars in the sport.  Her ‘Angel Reese 1’ signature shoe was first unveiled in its lead ‘Diamond Dust’ colorway, and on Saturday, the Chicago Sky star shared a second look.

It’s fair to say the sneaker has been marketed to perfection, and leans into the criticism that the 23-year-old has faced in her early career.  Reebok took to social media to share the new bright pink colorway, which they have dubbed the ‘Angel Reese 1 Mebounds’.  “All mine. Not yours (yet),” the announcement, shared by the company’s official X account, was captioned.  It has been viewed more than 700,000 times on X in less than an hour of being posted.  “Literally MINE. Not yours (yet),” Reese added, re-posting the new sneakers.  The ‘Mebounds’ colorway leans into the notion that the Sky forward’s game is centred around grabbing rebounds, specifically ones that are generated by her own missed shots.

Reese currently holds a number of league rebounding records, including the most consecutive double-doubles and fastest player to 600 points and 600 rebounds in history.  Amid Chicago’s poor start to the 2025 season, the term ‘Mebounds’ emerged, with many of Reese’s haters sharing it online.

                                       Reese’s new colorway lean into the ‘Mebounds’ criticism she has faced

                        The Chicago Sky star recently moved to trademark the word her trolls have coined

But instead of being knocked back, the Sky star is rolling with the punches, and recently moved to trademark the word as she continues to make her presence felt on the court.  “Whoever came up with that, the trolling, I love when y’all do it, because the ideas be good,” she said in a TikTok video last month.  “When y’all came up with mebounds — cause, statistically, all the rebounds I get aren’t always just mine. They’re the defenses, too, or somebody else’s on my team — but when y’all came up with mebounds, y’all (ate).”

“And the brand? That’s six figures right there.”  Indeed, it now looks like Reese is trying to turn that trolling into cold, hard cash, and she’s doing it with the help of close friend and Reebok’s president of Basketball, Shaquille O’Neal.  The marketing for her signature shoe is so good, in fact, that even ‘hater’ Dave Portnoy can’t help but be impressed.

                               Even Portnoy, a Clark superfan, has admitted Reebok’s marketing is genius

Portnoy, founder of Barstool Sports, is a well-known fan of Reese’s WNBA rival Caitlin Clark.  “I hate (sports sense) Angel Reese,” he wrote on X.  “Hate her. That’s how much it pains me to admit how brilliant it was for her team to trademark Mebounds and make it her thing.  “Brilliant. I hate how brilliant it is.”  While it seems Reebok is winning new fans with their marketing of the Angel Reese 1, the general public will have to wait to get their hands on the shoe.  It is scheduled to hit retailers at sometime in 2026, but a firm launch date has yet to be announced.