WNBA All-Star is packed with plenty of events — including a walk-through of the Unrivaled headquarters for fans who missed out on the action in Miami earlier this year (or who want to relive it again). During Thursday night's media preview, Unrivaled's president Alex Bazzell (aka Mr. Napheesa Collier) let reporters in on an Angel Reese fact her fans already know: she was the hardest working player in the league.

Bazzell was asked about Reese's improved performance this season, which at this point is undeniable, and he admitted he's not too surprised because he saw what kind of person is Reese is when she was in Miami throughout Unrivaled's inaugural season.

Bazzell also has plenty of experience as an NBA and WNBA trainer. In addition to Collier, he worked with Kobe and Gigi Bryant and their Mambacitas team, and his list of clients includes Kyrie Irving, Napheesa Collier, Trae Young, Candace Parker, Carmelo Anthony, Caris LeVert, Bobby Portis and Doug McDermott. That experience is ultra-relevant to the conversation, because he is able to see athletes from a player development perspective.

"I always hear coaches talk about the first player to arrive and the last player to leave," he told said. "Angel was that throughout the season — and Angel lived 30 minutes away from the facility, but in the player parking lot, there was usually one car when I showed up in the mornings, it was Angel's car and when I would leave late at night, I would usually see Angel's car."

That squares with a reality that many of Reese's fans have known for years (and that a lot of other people are finally catching up to): she works incredibly hard, on and off the court. Bazzell also pointed out that Reese is expertly building a brand for herself outside of basketball, something that isn't easy to do. "They just don't see the hours she puts in," he continued, "so it doesn't surprise me she's having the success that she is."

Despite the Chicago Sky's less than stellar season, Reese is experiencing an extraordinary period of growth right now. She's come a long way from her already impressive rookie season, and has set herself apart as at least a triple-threat — in this month alone, she's racked up multiple double-doubles, Reebok unveiled the first look at her signature shoe with the brand, and she was put on the cover of NBA 2K26, which will be released on September 5, 2025.

Reese was named a reserve for Team Collier in this year's All-Star Game, but unfortunately had to back out due to a leg injury. Despite that, she's well on her way to having the kind of second season in the WNBA that athletes dream of, and she's earned every bit of it.