Getty Angel Reese during an LSU game on April 1, 2024.
Heavy conducted an exclusive interview with Chicago Sky GM Jeff Pagliocca, prior to the Sky’s 2024 WNBA season.
Among the questions asked of Pagliocca was what he thought about new draftee Angel Reese’s “Chi Barbie” nickname.
“There’s no shortage of nicknames on the Sky roster,” Pagliocca responded. “So I’m sure she’ll fit right in.
“We’re thrilled to see Angel already embracing our city as much as it’s embracing her,” he added.
Reese’s new nickname is an evolution of the “Bayou Barbie” moniker she used at LSU.
“The name Bayou Barbie came from a fan in Baton Rouge,” Reese told Sports Illustrated in May 2023. “She just called me the Bayou Barbie, and my mom heard it and we just ran with it.
“I mean, it kind of fits me. I’m in Baton Rouge, which is the bayou, and then the Barbie part is my nails, lashes, hair [which are] always done on the court, so yeah, it went together,” Reese said.
On April 17, two days after the Sky selected Reese in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she posted on X, “i need a new name now that i’m in chicago lol something cute that is catchy like Bayou Barbie😭 👀”.
i need a new name now that i’m in chicago lol something cute that is catchy like Bayou Barbie 😭👀
Five days after that, the WNBA’s X account posted a video that included the caption, “Chi-Town Barbie has a nice ring to it 😏”.
Chi-Town Barbie has a nice ring to it 😏
Re-live @Reese10Angel’s draft night before she brings her fire and passion to the W!
The nickname was eventually shortened to “Chi Barbie”, which Reese continues to go by.
Chicago Sky Nicknames
Pagliocca was right in saying that there’s no shortage of nicknames on the Sky roster.
Veteran guard Diamond DeShields has a plethora.
“‘Double’ is what my college coach (Holly Warlick) called me,” DeShields told the Chicago Tribune in 2018. “‘D Double’ is something some of my guy friends call me, like some people call me ‘Double D,’ but they reversed it. ‘Grasshopper’ my mom called me I think just because when I was a kid I was very long and narrow and just bouncing around. ‘Buddha,’ I don’t know why my dad calls me that, he just does.”
Former Notre Dame guard Marina Mabrey goes by “Money Mabrey” because of her bucket-getting ability.
Marina Mabrey drains her second triple to give the Sky a 12-0 start 🙌
📲 WNBA App
Reese referred to teammate Kysre Gondrezick as “my pookies” in a May 7 X post.
Brianna Turner often goes by “Breezy Bri”.
“We called her ‘Breezy’ from a young age,” said Turner’s mother, per the Indy Star. “I call her ‘Slim’ sometimes, but ‘Breezy’ is the one that really stuck with her.”
And Chennedy Carter has her infamous “Hollywood” nickname.
Although none of these nicknames are better known than “Chi Barbie”.
Chicago’s Fantastic Preseason End
The Chicago Sky ended their 2024 WNBA preseason with a dominant 101-53 win over the New York Liberty on May 7.
Reese often looked like the best player on the court during the game.
She finished the game with 13 points on 6 of 10 shooting in 19 minutes played. She has also added 5 rebounds and 1 steal.
After Reese scored a tough third quarter bucket on reigning WNBA MVP Breanna Stewart, she stared Stewart down before running back down the court.
Angel Reese with the tough bucket on Breanna Stewart 😤
(via @chicagosky)
The Sky’s first regular season game is against the Dallas Wings on May 15.