"Horrible looking product"- College hoops fans react as $1.8M NIL-valued Angel Reese signs lucrative deal with Panini America

Angel Reese has played an instrumental part in bringing attention to women's college basketball, establishing herself as one of the greatest players of her era. The LSU Tigers star recently expanded her portfolio by signing a deal with Panini America.

The trading card company announced the partnership with an Instagram post, captioned:

"A true game changer, on and off of the court 🏀👑 Honored to welcome the iconic Angel Reese to the Panini Exclusive Family! Angel’s first Panini Cards will be available today at 3:00 PM EST at PaniniAmerica.net. #WhoDoYouCollect"

Check out the Instagram post from Panini America below:

The news elicited mixed reactions from fans. Instagram user@knoxvillejedi claimed:

"Horrible looking product, yikes"

@fishermike_77 criticized Panini for unlicensed cards, as the LSU logo was notably missing from Reese's jersey:

"More desperate attempts to stay relevant by Panini. Nobody wants your unlicensed, uncentered crappy cards."

@collectingdust80s had a similar reaction:

"No logos on college jersey 😂 😂 😂"

@collectingdust80s chimed in:

"Panini better hope that these girls get into the wnba before they lose the rights to that too 😂 😂 😂"

@mrbippington praised Reese while taking a shot at Caitlin Clark:

"Finally got a real champion…not just a ring less 3pt shooter"

@just_a_kid_from_canton labeled Panini as a sinking ship:

"These girls need better agents - signing with a sinking ship"

@houseofbreaks claimed Angel Reese was a mid-player:

"Dang if you just giving out deals to mid players let me get one"

@____shinjo shared their thought:

"WNBA bust"

Check out the fan reactions below:

Fan reactions

Angel Reese declares for the 2024 WNBA Draft

Angel Reese announced her decision to enter the 2024 WNBA Draft in an interview with Vogue last Wednesday. The LSU Tigers star stated:

"I’ve done everything I wanted to in college. I’ve won a national championship, I’ve gotten [Southeastern Conference] Player of the Year, I’ve been an All-American. My ultimate goal is to be a pro—and to be one of the greatest basketball players to play, ever. I feel like I'm ready."

The $1.8 million NIL-valued star (per On3) expressed her resolve to work her way up, adding that she does not want things to be easy. Throughout her four-year collegiate career, she averaged 18.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field and 70.4% from the free-throw line.

In addition to leading the Tigers to a national title and winning the 2023 NCAA Tournament Most Outstanding Player, she has also been named an All-American three times.