Angel Reese Says She and Her Brother ‘Would Fight’ Over This Nostalgic Item as Kids

Mar. 15, 2025

Angel Reese; Angel Reese’s McDonald’s special meal.Photo:McDonalds

McDonalds

Angel Reeseis teaming up with McDonald’s — and it’s bringing back nostalgic memories of an item she andher brother Julianwould fight over as kids.The 22-year-old WNBA star and McDonald’s announced on Jan. 30 that Reese will be the first female athlete to get her own special meal at the fast-food giant.“I’ve been into McDonald’s since I was a kid,” Reese tells PEOPLE. “I don’t think anybody hasn’t!“Reese says she was a big fan of McDonald’s for the food and the Play Places when she was younger, recalling, “They had one near my house that was literally five minutes away,” in her Maryland hometown.“I used to save money so I can eat at McDonald’s, and I remember growing up, me and my brother would fight sometimes over the Happy Meal toys.“Angel Reese and her brother Julian Reese.Angel Reese XReese fondly remembers simpler times when she would “save up as much money” as she could and then going and “getting everything, as much as I could, on the dollar menu.““You know how your parents always say, ‘There’s food at home’?,” she asks. “So I used to save money so I could eat at McDonald’s.“Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Reese joins the likes ofCardi B,Travis ScottandMariah Careywith her own McDonald’s meal, and working with the brand means more to her than some may realize.The Angel Reese Special meal at McDonalds.McDonaldsThe Chicago Sky star says that before she wasplaying basketball at LSU, she dreamt of being selected to the McDonald’s All-American game, a highly coveted roster of the best high school players in the country. Past participants include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Breanna Stewart. “To be a McDonald’s All-American, that meant so much to me,” she says.But the annual McDonald’s game was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Obviously, I wasn’t able to do the McDonald’s All-American, so this is the closest I’ve been to it, and closest to being to McDonald’s, so it was perfect.“Angel Reese 5 of the Chicago Sky during the first half of a WNBA game against the Las Vegas Aces on August 25, 2024 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/GettyReese tells PEOPLE she only had one non-negotiable when putting together her signature McDonald’s meal: no soda.“I didn’t want a soda because I don’t drink soda,” says Reese. “I love Hi-C, though. Sometimes I’ll go to McDonald’s just for a Hi-C, so that was perfect for me.“Her meal includes a BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, which Reese loves because, “I put barbecue sauce on everything,” the WNBA star says.

Angel Reeseis teaming up with McDonald’s — and it’s bringing back nostalgic memories of an item she andher brother Julianwould fight over as kids.

The 22-year-old WNBA star and McDonald’s announced on Jan. 30 that Reese will be the first female athlete to get her own special meal at the fast-food giant.

“I’ve been into McDonald’s since I was a kid,” Reese tells PEOPLE. “I don’t think anybody hasn’t!”

Reese says she was a big fan of McDonald’s for the food and the Play Places when she was younger, recalling, “They had one near my house that was literally five minutes away,” in her Maryland hometown.

“I used to save money so I can eat at McDonald’s, and I remember growing up, me and my brother would fight sometimes over the Happy Meal toys.”

Angel Reese and her brother Julian Reese.Angel Reese X

Angel Reese X

Reese fondly remembers simpler times when she would “save up as much money” as she could and then going and “getting everything, as much as I could, on the dollar menu.”

“You know how your parents always say, ‘There’s food at home’?,” she asks. “So I used to save money so I could eat at McDonald’s.”

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Reese joins the likes ofCardi B,Travis ScottandMariah Careywith her own McDonald’s meal, and working with the brand means more to her than some may realize.

The Angel Reese Special meal at McDonalds.McDonalds

The Chicago Sky star says that before she wasplaying basketball at LSU, she dreamt of being selected to the McDonald’s All-American game, a highly coveted roster of the best high school players in the country. Past participants include Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Breanna Stewart. “To be a McDonald’s All-American, that meant so much to me,” she says.

But the annual McDonald’s game was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “Obviously, I wasn’t able to do the McDonald’s All-American, so this is the closest I’ve been to it, and closest to being to McDonald’s, so it was perfect.”

Angel Reese 5 of the Chicago Sky during the first half of a WNBA game against the Las Vegas Aces on August 25, 2024 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois.Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/Getty

Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire/Getty

Reese tells PEOPLE she only had one non-negotiable when putting together her signature McDonald’s meal: no soda.

“I didn’t want a soda because I don’t drink soda,” says Reese. “I love Hi-C, though. Sometimes I’ll go to McDonald’s just for a Hi-C, so that was perfect for me.”

Her meal includes a BBQ Bacon Quarter Pounder with Cheese, which Reese loves because, “I put barbecue sauce on everything,” the WNBA star says.

source: people.com