Angel Reese is the most followed WNBA player on social media and she is taking advantage of her massive platform

Angel Reese is the most followed WNBA player on social media, and she’s putting her massive platform to use originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Just two games into her professional career, Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese is already one of the most influential players in the league. Do not you believe it? Here’s a fact: Angel Reese has more Instagram followers than any player in the WNBA. In fact, she already had more followers than any player in the WNBA before she was even drafted. That number has risen to 3.2 million followers since she was ranked No. 7 by the Chicago Sky. For reference, Caitlin Clark’s Instagram has 2.3 million followers.

Some may argue that social media following doesn’t matter. Those people are wrong. Those extra followers on Instagram can and do help players make the majority of their living through brand deals and partnerships. The more followers a player has, the more money she makes. And we’re talking millions of dollars.

Of course, with money and influence comes great responsibility. And when the league’s stars make millions from sponsorships while their lesser-known teammates are bogged down by the WNBA’s average salary of less than $150,000, those with larger followings may feel obligated to advocate for the rest of the league.

Reese has shown herself to be that kind of person.

Most recently, Reese used her platform to urge the WNBA to grant Seattle Storm rookie Nika Muhl her visa.

Muhl, who came from Croatia, played four seasons at UConn under a college visa, which has been revoked since she graduated. Since then, she has been dealing with a pending visa and has yet to make her WNBA debut.

According to Howard Megdal of TheNext, Muhl’s P-1 athlete visa has finally been approved and the guard is set to make her big league debut on Wednesday against the Indiana Fever.

In addition to Muhl, Reese expressed some other thoughts in her latest tweet, including a demand that the media cover the WNBA more equally instead of just focusing on the teams with star players.

“… [Give] every team the same [publicity] because it’s not just one team,” she wrote.

Reese also criticized the handling of the league’s new charter program, in which only some teams were able to start the season on charters while others could not due to miscalculated logistics.

While she takes care of business off the court, she is also off to a solid start on the court, averaging 11.5 points and 8.5 assists through her first two professional games.

So if you’re a sports fan, especially in Chicago, hoping to avoid the growing WNBA discourse, good luck. With her actions both on and off the field, Reese makes sure you hear it, whether you want to or not.