The former LSU Tigers star told fans she needed a nickname to reflect her new city.

 

The Bayou Barbie is moving to the windy city!

After Angel Reese, whose nickname as the star of the LSU Tigers was the Bayou Barbie, was drafted to the WNBA’s Chicago Sky, she told fans she needed a new name to reflect her new city.

“I need a new name now that I’m in Chicago lol something cute that is catchy like Bayou Barbie,” Reese, 21, wrote in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on April 17.

The next day, Reese took to TikTok to announce she’s keeping the “Barbie” and swapping “Bayou” for “Chi” as she starts her WNBA career.

“Hey y’all, so it’s the Chi Barbie here,” Reese said in the video. “I want y’all to know I’m still gonna be the Bayou Barbie, but like, I’m going to Chicago now.”

Reese said in the video that she’s already received a warm welcome from the city of Chicago since she was drafted seventh overall on April 15.

“They’ve basically already been inheriting me into Chicago,” Reese said. “So many people done reached out to me, the love from Chicago is running deep and going crazy.”

But even with her new home base, Reese said she’ll always represent the cities she’s lived in, including Baton Rouge, where LSU is located, and Baltimore, where Reese is from.

“So I’m the Chi Barbie, the Baltimore Barbie, I am always going to be the Bayou Barbie,” she said in the TikTok.

Reese revealed that she’ll arrive in Chicago “soon” to begin training for the upcoming WNBA season.

“So yeah, I get to Chicago soon, but I need all the hair stylists, all the nail techs, the lash techs, the waxes, the facials, aestheticians, I need all of that,” Reese said, asking people to comment with recommendations for beauty techs in Chicago.

Reese ended her video saying, “Chi town, I’ll see y’all soon. Muah!”

Reese initially announced her declaration for the 2024 WNBA draft on April 3, both in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) and in an interview with Vogue published in tandem with Reese’s social media post.

Reese wrote, “Grateful for these last four years and excited for this next chapter. #BAYOUBARBIEOUT,” along with a video tribute to her four years at LSU on X.

In the video, Reese thanked her family, her mom, teachers, coaches and managers, among others, for their support during her college career, all set to various clips of her on the court.

“All of this is because of you, thank you for loving me and supporting me in everything I do,” Reese said in a voiceover.

“I’m leaving college with everything I’ve ever wanted,” Reese continued, listing “a degree, a national championship, and this platform I could have never imagined” as highlights she’s taking away from her experience at LSU.