It’s Year 2 for the Chi-Town Barbie, but the criticism hasn’t really gone anywhere. People are still talking about how Angel Reese misses her own layups and just keeps rebounding until she finally puts the ball in. This time around, though, there’s even a name for it – “mebounds.” Sounds catchy, sure, but let’s not pretend that NBA bigs like Clint Capela and Nikola Jokic do not do the same thing. No one bats an eye then, right? For some reason, Reese doesn’t get the same grace, as haters keep coming at her with accusations of stat-padding. The wild part is that some use clearly doctored box scores to prove their point. Well, that might’ve worked before, but not anymore!
It’s because her stats speak loud and clear – she’s not grabbing “mebounds.” As per the “I Talk Hoops X” account, if you removed every single player’s rebounds off their own missed shots, Reese would still be the only player in the WNBA averaging a double-double this season. And that’s not stat-padding, that’s dominance.
Over the last three games alone, she’s grabbed 33 rebounds, and not a single one came off her own shot. Those are pure hustle boards, the kind that define elite-level rebounding. But this didn’t happen overnight. The Chicago Sky sensation is actively shaping her game to prove her potential. For those who missed it, just a few days ago, Reese went live on TikTok and addressed the viral term coined by fans: “Because mebounds, crebounds, keybounds, tebounds… anything that comes off the board, it’s mine.”
Chicago, USA, May 29, 2025: Angel Reese 5 Chicago Sky reacts to a play during the game between the Chicago Sky and Dallas Wings on Thursday May 29, 2025 at Wintrust Arena, Chicago, USA. NO COMMERCIAL USAGE Shaina Benhiyoun/SPP PUBLICATIONxNOTxINxBRAxMEX Copyright: xShainaxBenhiyoun/SPPx spp-en-ShBe-8P6A9473
And it looks like ever since then, she’s been on a mission to prove that phrase wrong. In the very next game against the Connecticut Sun, she dropped her first-ever triple-double, with 11 points, 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, leading her team to a 78–66 win and becoming the second-youngest player in WNBA history to record a triple-double, right behind Caitlin Clark. But that wasn’t the only move Reese made to flip the script on her critics. She also filed a trademark application for “mebounds” on June 14.
After teasing the term on TikTok, she hinted at a future six-figure branding opportunity, with the filing covering merch like T-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats. Well, that’s a major power move for a WNBA player with an estimated net worth of $2 million, all thanks to the critics. But the real question is: do these stat-padding accusations hold any truth? Based on the numbers and her response, it’s looking like a solid no. And it has been like that since last year, as Rebecca Lobo’s stats team confirmed.
Angel Reese’s up for redefining her rebounding game!
Under “I talk hoops” post, more than half the comments said their claims were just not true. However, just like the accusation isn’t new, neither is that claim. Last year, amidst similar situations, Rebecca Lobo and the ESPN crew did some deep digging and released the following statement.
“Some of her critics like to say… ‘She gets a lot of offensive rebounds off her own misses,’ Lobo said. “Well our stats and information group looked that up. If you take away all of the offensive rebounds off her own misses… She’s still leading the league in offensive rebounds per game… She has been remarkable. Historically remarkable.”
And Lobo isn’t the only ex-player who stood in Reese’s defense last year. Val Whiting made a very good point, too, saying, “In one sequence, Angel Reese just repeatedly outworked 3 Aces players (two players 6’5) to get rebounds off of her own misses. Argue with a wall if you don’t think that takes talent and skill“. And here’s the thing, Reese is not only good at grabbing her own misses, but everybody else’s too. So if you had to choose one player who’s most likely to catch the ball after it bounces off the hoop, Reese would be the best pick by far.
Some people say it’s bad that she gets her own missed shots, but that doesn’t really make sense. In basketball, it’s actually pretty normal, especially for players like Reese who play near the basket, to try and grab the ball if they miss. That’s called hustle and knowing how to position yourself, and Reese is one of the best at it! Taking last year’s stats into account, if you stack Angel Reese’s rebounding habits against NBA players, you’ll see she grabbed her own missed shots less frequently than the NBA leader in offensive rebounds Clint Capela, as per Sporting News.
This year, Reese is again leading the WNBA with 11.9 rebounds per game, dominating the offensive glass like no other, yet shooting just 30.9% from the field. That contrast has sparked endless debate online. While some fans mock her relentless rebounding with terms like “mebounds”, suggesting she’s just padding her stats, others are in awe of her physicality and persistence. And let’s be clear: she’s not just pulling down big numbers, she’s making history too.
She’s the fastest player in history to reach 500 career points and rebounds, and in an almost unheard-of stat, she now has more rebounds (532) than points (526) in her young WNBA career. Well, averaging more rebounds than points is rare, but NBA veterans like Steven Adams and Bismack Biyombo have pulled it off, too. The key difference? They’re in the twilight of their careers. So, say what you will, but elite rebounders very rarely average more rebounds across their career than points, especially so early in their careers.
And Reese is just getting started and is always on the lookout to improve. Even if you consider her last year’s performance, she’s owned her flaws always. Remember her struggling with layups? She was hitting just 42% on layups last season, calling it “the worst you’ll ever see me.” But then she started working on it, and despite getting injured before ending the season, she joined Unrivaled to prove her skills. And after getting mentored under WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, she did improve a lot.
While she did face a rough patch in the last few games, especially against Liberty, where she went 0 for 8 from the field, the Chicago Sky sensation is back in her dominance mode as she admitted in a post-game interview. And yet, she has no plans of stopping. “I’m still figuring it out… but I have patience,” she said. So does that mean we can expect more from her?? That’s going to be something to watch.
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