Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has quickly established herself as a dominant double-double force in the WNBA through her exceptional rebounding. Known for securing an impressive average of 12.3 rebounds per game this season, Reese outpaces her scoring average of 10.0 points per game, highlighting her extraordinary impact on the boards. Her rebounding prowess is particularly notable because many of these rebounds come after she misses close-range shots, allowing her to immediately recover her own rebounds.
Despite taking most of her shots from within five feet of the basket—about 85% of attempts—Reese struggles with efficiency, shooting only 33% on these attempts and a total field goal percentage of 31%. Nevertheless, she leads the league in offensive rebounds, pulling down an average of 5.7 offensive boards each game, nearly 1.5 more than her closest competitor, Brionna Jones, who averages 3.4 per game.
The Emergence of a New Statistic Inspired by Reese’s Play
Angel Reese’s distinctive style has inspired fans and social media users to create a new statistic designed specifically to highlight her rebounding talent following missed shots. This playful stat is called “mebounds,” a blend of “missed” and “rebound,” acknowledging Reese’s habit of quickly grabbing her own missed shots. The nickname “Mebounds” has also become popular among fans when referring to her remarkable ability to recover missed field goals.
Fan Engagement and Calls for Official Recognition
The unique nature of Reese’s game has even motivated groups to place bets predicting her first field goal attempts to miss, resulting in a six-game winning streak for those wagering on her misses. This amusing trend has drawn attention to the potential for the WNBA to adopt “mebounds” as an official statistic. Given how detailed current WNBA advanced statistics are—tracking almost every shot’s location and outcome—adding a “mebounds” category would be straightforward.
Fans and analysts alike have expressed hope that the WNBA will embrace this new metric. Its inclusion would recognize not only Reese’s unconventional but highly effective rebounding style but also add a fun and innovative layer to how player performances are analyzed and celebrated on the league’s official platforms.