Finals Barbie gets some Bayou support: Kim Mulkey attends WNBA Finals Game 3

Finals Barbie gets some Bayou backing: Kim Mulkey attends WNBA Finals Game 3.

Key points

• 7 overall pick in 2024 by the Chicago Sky, where she played two seasons and picked up two All-Star nods.
• Reese played under Mulkey at LSU from 2022 to 2024.
• Angel Reese reacts to her new nickname, "Queen of the South" given by Atlanta Hawks' CJ McCollum.
• Editor's note: USA TODAY Sports is on the ground in Atlanta, providing live updates and highlights of Game 3.

Finals Barbie gets some Bayou backing: Kim Mulkey attends WNBA Finals Game 3. Cydney Henderson USA TODAY. Angel Reese reacts to new nickname from Hawks star CJ McCollum.

Editor's note: USA TODAY Sports is on the ground in Atlanta, providing live updates and highlights of Game 3. Follow along here.

Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese pressed the city of Atlanta to "pull up and pop out" to State Farm Arena for Game 3 of the WNBA Finals against the Golden State Valkyries. Reese's collegiate head coach answered the call.

LSU women's basketball coach Kim Mulkey attended Game 3 to backing her former player. Mulkey, known for her avant-garde ensembles that often times include feathers and sparkles, kept it lowkey on Wednesday, Oct. 21, by pairing a brown jacket with cheetah print pants. Before Reese became the "ATL Barbie, " she was the "Bayou Barbie."

Reese played under Mulkey at LSU from 2022 to 2024. The two-time All-American led the LSU Tigers to the program's first national championship in 2023 and was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. Reese was named the 2024 SEC Player of the Year, leading the conference in scoring and rebounds two seasons in a row.

Notably, the 6-foot-4 forward was drafted No. 7 overall pick in 2024 by the Chicago Sky, where she played two seasons and picked up two All-Star nods. Reese was traded to the Dream in April, where she was named an All-Star again.

Reese, the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-Defensive pick, averaged a double-double for the third consecutive season, with a career-high 16.4 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.8 steals in 43 regular-season games. She led the league in rebounds and offensive rebounds per game (4.8) and set WNBA single-season records in total rebounds (521), total offensive rebounds (206) and double-doubles (32).

Dream players have routinely called Reese their missing piece this season, leading Atlanta to its first WNBA Finals appearance since 2013 and the first WNBA Finals win in franchise history on Monday with the Dream's Game 2 win tho tie the series 1-1.

Reese recorded a playoff-high 30-point, 16-rebound double-double in front of a hostile environment at "Ballhalla, " becoming the youngest player to record 30 points and 16 rebounds in a WNBA Finals game.

In practice, the best-of-seven series now shifts to Atlanta for Game 3 on Wednesday. It will be held at State Farm Arena (17, 000 seats), an upgrade from the Dream's home venue, Gateway Center Arena (3, 500 seats).

"(There's) no place like home, " Reese remarked during Wednesday's shootaround. "Atlanta has backed us. Through and through at every game, (with) every State Farm game being sold out. So, it's really cool to be here and I'm just happy to be home."

Mulkey isn't the only notable figure projected to attend Game 3 on Wednesday. According to WSBTV, the star-studded crowd at State Farm Arena will include Hall of Famer Allen Iverson and rappers TI, 2Chainz and Lil Baby.

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In short, finals Barbie gets some Bayou support: Kim Mulkey attends WNBA Finals Game is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.