Angel Reese, the Chicago Sky’s rising star, surprised her mother, Angel Webb Reese, with an extraordinary birthday gift: a paid-off mortgage. The heartwarming moment unfolded on Reese’s YouTube show, Unapologetically Angel, where the two discussed Reese’s burgeoning basketball career and ascent to fame. After presenting her mom with a birthday cake, Reese revealed the life-changing surprise.
“Well, it’s your birthday today,” Reese began, before reminding her mom of a previous conversation. “You said that if your mortgage was paid off, you would retire, or you won’t work. You can pick if you want to work still… your mortgage today has been paid.”
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Overwhelmed with emotion, Reese’s mom nearly dropped the cake in shock. Reese, with the help of Jamel and Janine, orchestrated the surprise. She reassured her mom that the decision to continue working was entirely hers. “Your mortgage is paid,” Reese stated. “Are you still going to work?”
Tears welled up in Mama Angel’s eyes as she processed the news. In addition to the mortgage payoff, Reese, who plans to purchase a house in Chicago this year, offered her mother a place to stay whenever she desired.
Reese and the show’s crew celebrated with a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” although safety regulations prevented them from lighting the candles on the cake in the studio.
“That was my biggest goal in life, to retire you and pay your mortgage or whatever you wanted not to work,” Reese confessed to her mom. “You’re a hard-working woman, you don’t need me for no money. That’s why I always say, ‘She never needed me for no money.'” Mama Angel, still stunned, admitted she had already received a Four Seasons gift card for her birthday, a gift that was now dwarfed by the magnitude of Reese’s gesture. “Now you know I come harder than that,” Reese joked.
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This extravagant display of affection followed Reese’s recent partnership with McDonald’s, making her the first female athlete to have a signature meal. Reese shared with PEOPLE that childhood trips to McDonald’s were a special treat, often involving playful squabbles with her brother, Julian, over Happy Meal toys. “You know how your parents always say, ‘There’s food at home?'” she recalled. “So I used to save money so I could eat at McDonald’s.”
The seventh overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft by the Chicago Sky, Reese has built a formidable income stream beyond basketball. According to USA Today, her endorsement deals between 2022 and 2023 amounted to approximately $1.7 million, with major brands like Reebok, Playstation, and Amazon among her sponsors.
