In an era where fans, media, and social platforms love nothing more than to pit star athletes against each other, Angel Reese and Paige Bueckers have done something few expected: they’ve turned competitiveness into collaboration, rivalry into influence, and pressure into a powerhouse friendship that is reshaping the landscape of women’s sports. What began as two parallel careers — each defined by fame, brilliance, and massive fanbases — has evolved into one of the most compelling cultural alliances in basketball today.
Both former top draft picks, both household names, both marketing juggernauts, Reese and Bueckers have crafted personal brands that go far beyond the hardwood. Reese recently made history as the first professional athlete to walk the Victoria’s Secret runway, cementing her status as a crossover fashion icon. Meanwhile, Bueckers has perfected the art of digital influence, using TikTok to catalog a dizzying array of endorsement deals that span beauty, automotive, lifestyle, and more. Their NIL and sponsorship earnings dwarf their WNBA paychecks — a reality they openly acknowledge — but together, their reach multiplies, and brands have taken notice.
And that is exactly how their latest headline-making moment was born: the viral Reese’s x Oreo collaboration, featuring a dual milk-chocolate-and-white-crème peanut butter cup designed around their combined identities. The idea wasn’t cooked up in a boardroom — it came straight from fans.
“Everybody wanted us to do something together,” Reese explains in a joint interview with Popsugar. And she’s right. The fanbase even has a name: Paigel — a fusion of Paige and Angel — and the demand for a collab exploded during WNBA All-Star Weekend when the two stars played together (and won) on Team Collier. Their pregame dances, locker-room TikToks, and genuine chemistry lit up the internet, spawning millions of views and an avalanche of comments begging for more.
“So we had to give the people what they wanted,” Reese laughs.
Bueckers agrees, reflecting on how surreal it is to see this level of attention:
“I think everything is about the people who came before us and paved the way. They built the foundation for what we’re able to do now.”
Reese echoes that sentiment, pushing back against the idea that today’s success is brand-new:
“A lot of great players before us did amazing things — they just didn’t have the platform. Now it’s our job to give them their flowers.”
Fans have embraced the partnership with enthusiasm — even those who can’t technically enjoy the product. “I may have a slight peanut allergy, but I’ll still be supporting Angel and Paige,” one person joked online. Another wrote, “The aunties are proud,” under Reese’s announcement post, capturing the warm, almost familial energy surrounding the duo.
But beyond the candy, beyond the sponsorships, beyond the TikToks, Reese and Bueckers are modeling something far more important: what healthy, supportive, high-level competition looks like in the modern WNBA. Rivalry doesn’t have to mean hostility. Greatness doesn’t have to divide. And star power doesn’t have to overshadow sisterhood.
“I think it shows what the W is becoming,” Reese says. “You can compete hard against someone who’s great, and still be friends off the court — and still do these iconic collabs.”
Their partnership is more than a marketing win; it’s a cultural statement. Reese and Bueckers are proving that women’s basketball is evolving into a space where talent, business, and friendship can coexist — and thrive. And if the Paigel phenomenon continues at this pace, this won’t be the last time the sports world stops to watch what these two young icons do next.
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