LSU national champion Angel Reese’s popularity continues to skyrocket after the Tigers won the title earlier this month.
Reese added another NIL deal to her résumé this week as she now partners with the artificial intelligence company Caktus AI. Reese announced the partnership with a video on social media.
Caktus AI has partnered with multiple collegiate athletes before Reese, including LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, Miami basketball’s Cavinder twins and San Diego State basketball’s Matt Bradley.
Reese’s NIL valuation sits at $1.3 million, according to On3, a figure which reflects a major jump from the $370,000 valuation she held before the 2023 NCAA tournament. Her social media following has also nearly tripled to 3.6 million in recent weeks.
So far, Reese has partnered with Raising Cane’s, Campus Ink, Dick’s Sporting Goods, Leaf Trading Cards and Bleacher Report ever since LSU’s national championship win over Iowa on April 2.
The LSU forward’s popularity came in part from her actions at the end of the national title game and after the game. When it was clear the Tigers were going to beat Iowa, Reese mocked Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark by emulating John Cena’s “you can’t see me” hand gesture, something Clark had done previously. However, Reese received backlash after the game, which sparked controversy over whether she was being held to a double standard.
“I don’t fit in the box that y’all want me to be in,” Reese said after the game. “I’m too hood. I’m too ghetto. Y’all told me that all year. When other people do it, y’all don’t say nothing. This was for the people that look like me.”
Additionally, Reese was at the center of the conversation surrounding the victorious Tigers’ invitation to the White House after First Lady Jill Biden originally seemed to extend the invite to both LSU and Iowa. Although Reese first said she didn’t want to make the trip, she has since confirmed that she will be included in the visit.
