Who Is Angel Reese Dating? Everything We Know About Her Love Life in 2026

Who Is Angel Reese Dating Right Now?

Angel Reese is dating Wendell Carter Jr., and this is not a rumor — it is a confirmed relationship with on-the-record statements from both sides. The confirmation came on November 17, 2025, when Carter appeared on FanDuel TV's Run It Back and co-host Chandler Parsons asked about the rumors directly. Carter, grinning, said: "That's the homie for sure; we locked in. Y'all are going to find out when y'all need to find out. We'll just leave it at that. That's my girl, though. We locked in for sure." The next day, Reese confirmed it herself on X, writing "Period, homie."

The public confirmation followed months of escalating signals. The pair was first linked in May 2025, when Carter attended Reese's 23rd birthday party. In July, he wore a T-shirt featuring her face to the WNBA All-Star Game. In December 2025, Reese posted photos from the Orlando Magic's home court wearing a custom jersey with "My Man" on the back, Carter's arm around her waist — the visual hard launch. Through the 2026 NBA playoffs, Reese was a visible supporter as Carter and the Magic made their postseason run.

As of October 2026, every signal says the relationship is intact: mutual game attendance, social media support, and zero reports of trouble. For a player who once vowed on her podcast that she would never post a relationship publicly until marriage, the "My Man" jersey was a genuine reversal — and a measure of how serious this is.

Who Is Wendell Carter Jr., Angel Reese's Boyfriend?

Wendell Carter Jr., 27, is the starting center for the Orlando Magic — and his basketball resume mirrors Reese's in an almost eerie way. Born April 16, 1999, Carter was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (by the Chicago Bulls, before a 2021 trade to Orlando). Reese was the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Same draft slot, six years apart. He has been Orlando's starting center since 2021, a rugged two-way big man who does the dirty work in the paint — the NBA equivalent of exactly what Reese does in the WNBA.

Carter played his college ball at Duke (one season, 2017-18) before declaring for the draft. He is known as a steady, low-maintenance professional — no off-court drama, no headline-chasing — which may be exactly what appeals to Reese, whose own fame has often been louder than she would like. In the 2025-26 season, he has been a key piece of a Magic team that made a surprising playoff push.

The pairing makes basketball sense, too. Both are rebounding-obsessed frontcourt players who built their reputations on effort and physicality rather than flash. When Reese described her type on her podcast — tall ("6'7", 6'8""), genuine, able to meet her standards — she could have been describing a 6'10" NBA center who has started for the same franchise for five years. Carter, at 6-foot-10, clears the bar with room to spare.

Angel Reese and Wendell Carter Jr.: Relationship Timeline

A relationship documented in sightings, jerseys, and one very direct TV interview.

What is notable is how the relationship's public arc inverted Reese's stated philosophy. On her Unapologetically Angel podcast in late 2024 and early 2025, she was adamant: "Now I see why people hide relationships... I don't think I'll ever openly share that part of my life with y'all again until I'm married." She doubled down in a January 2025 episode: "The next time I'll post I'm in a relationship is when I'm married." By December 2025, she was posting a "My Man" jersey. The stance didn't survive the relationship — which, depending on your view, is either a broken promise or the whole point.

The Atlanta Dream Trade: Reese's Career Year

The relationship has unfolded against the backdrop of the biggest professional gamble of Reese's career. In April 2026, the Chicago Sky traded Reese to the Atlanta Dream for two first-round draft picks, following friction between Reese and the organization — including her public comments during the 2025 season that Chicago needed to add talent or she might consider moving on. It was a stunning move: trading a 24-year-old two-time All-Star entering her prime.

The fit in Atlanta has been seamless. Surrounded by Allisha Gray, Rhyne Howard, and a contending roster, Reese took her game to a new level in 2026: a career-high 16.4 points per game on 45.1 percent shooting, 12.1 rebounds (her third straight double-double season), and the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. In October 2026, she helped the Dream sweep the New York Liberty to reach the WNBA Finals — her first Finals appearance, after never reaching the playoffs in two seasons with Chicago.

Reese herself has framed the move as deja vu: transferring from Maryland to LSU in college, then winning a national championship in 2023. "Being a part of Chicago my first two years and going to Atlanta, I just feel that urge right now that I'm going to win again," she said. Whether the Finals end with a ring or not, the trade has already validated itself — and Carter has been courtside for the ride.

The Finals matchup itself, beginning October 17, 2026, pits the Dream against the winner of the Las Vegas-Golden State semifinal series — and Reese's playoff numbers have been the story of the postseason: a 5-0 record, 18.0 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, and a Game 3 closeout against the Liberty in which she dropped a team-high 22. For a player whose first two pro seasons ended in lottery picks, the leap to Finals starter in year three is the kind of career inflection that redefines legacies — and it has happened, not coincidentally, in the first full season of her public relationship with Carter.

Before Wendell: Angel Reese's Dating History

Before Carter, Reese's most documented relationship was with Cam'Ron Fletcher, a former Kentucky basketball player from her college days who now plays for High Point University. That relationship belonged to the LSU era and ended without much public detail — consistent with Reese's long-standing preference for privacy.

Reese has also been candid about what she wants in a partner, in ways that now read like a scouting report for Carter. On her podcast with stylist Law Roach, she discussed the hypothetical of dating someone shorter than her 6-foot-4 frame, admitting she was "too scared" to consider it. In a separate episode, she laid out her standards plainly: a partner has to meet how she lives her life, be genuine, and — in her memorable formulation — not buy a $3,000 Louis Vuitton bag he can't afford twice. "Know what you're getting yourself into," she said.

As of October 2026: dating Wendell Carter Jr. since May 2025, confirmed by both, approaching 18 months, with Reese in the WNBA Finals and Carter established as Orlando's starting center. The Bayou Barbie found her NBA center — and for once, she is not hiding it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources