Holly Rowe Says She Slept On The Airport Floor For Angel Reese
The ESPN reporter recalls chasing down Bayou Barbie before LSU's title run
Holly Rowe has been all in on Angel Reese from the very beginning.
During an appearance on the Show Me Something podcast this week, the longtime ESPN reporter told hosts Sophie Cunningham and West Wilson that she once camped out at an airport just so that she could talk to Reese.
"Three years ago, we were getting ready to have our very first ever College Game Day show on ESPN," Rowe began. "There was a young woman playing basketball that I thought was playing at such a high level, and nobody was giving her any attention."
Reese was in her junior season at LSU at the time.
"I did an NBA game in Utah, did a red eye flight, and I slept on the floor at the Atlanta airport," Rowe continued. "I'm sleeping. I'm on the floor at the airport so that I could get the 7 a.m. flight to the location where I would do the interview with this young woman. And I did the first ever feature on her on (the) first ever College Game Day."
Three months later, the Tigers won the women's championship — defeating Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
That's the game that made this photo a media talking point for months.
Angel Reese taunts Caitlin Clark during the fourth quarter during the 2023 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament championship game.
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Rowe credits herself with being one of the first national media members to recognize Reese's potential.
"I am really proud of that story because I had to sacrifice," Rowe said. "I slept on the floor at the airport for Angel Reese because I believed so deeply in her, and nobody was talking about her. I had the instinct, and I was right."
Now entering her third WNBA season, Reese was traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream on Monday.
Angel Reese was traded from the Chicago Sky to the Atlanta Dream on April 6.
(Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
And while Rowe's assessment of the 23-year-old as an elite basketball player has been hotly contested, there's no arguing that Reese has elevated herself to stardom off the court.
The athlete formerly known as "Bayou Barbie" has a successful podcast, deals with multiple major national brands and her own line and signature shoe with Reebok. She's also landed a starring role in the upcoming season of The Hunting Wives and, this week, launched a lingerie and swimwear campaign for Victoria's Secret.
One thing's for sure — Angel Reese isn't sleeping on any airport floors.