Bears newcomers Caleb Williams, Keenan Allen and Rome Odunze were out and about downtown at the Wintrust Arena for the Chicago Sky's preseason finale against the New York Liberty.
Chicago's newest athletes were in the house on Tuesday. The Bears drafted Williams and Odunze with the No. 1 and No. 9 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft, respectively. The Sky drafted 6-foot-7 South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso and LSU star Angel Reese with the No. 3 and No. 7 picks in the 2024 WNBA Draft, respectively.
Williams and Reese are both from the DMV (D.C., Maryland, Virginia) area. According to Reese, she and Williams are friends and plan to hang out with their respective friend groups in Chicago.
"That's my dog, yeah. That's my dog. Me and Caleb are cool," Angel Reese told NBC Chicago's Mike Berman. "One of my good friends is best friends with him that are in my friend group. So we're all from the DMV area (D.C., Maryland, Virginia). Just being able to have another DMV tie. ... We talked when he got drafted. I don't know when he's gonna be here but we're all gonna hangout. My friend's coming down and we're all gonna hangout because we're all cool. I'm excited."
MORE: ‘That's my dog': Angel Reese talks about her friendship with Caleb Williams
Reese is from Baltimore, having attended Saint Frances Academy in Maryland. She also played her first two collegiate seasons at Maryland before transferring to LSU, where she won a National Championship two seasons ago.
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That season, Reese took the women's college basketball scene by storm. She led the Tigers, averaging 23 points, 15.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game during the regular season. This past season, she posted 18.6 points per game.
Williams attended Gonzaga College Prep outside of Baltimore. The two schools are about an hour apart from each other. Williams didn't stay close to home like Reese did in her first two seasons. He attended Oklahoma for one season before transferring to USC.
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Reese is excited to meet up with a DMV native in Williams. But she's also excited about the elite, newcomers who are making their way to Chicago.
"This rookie class was amazing coming in. I hope the Bulls get some guys, too. We lit right now. We turning this city up right now. They're supporting women's basketball. Not just the football, but they support women's basketball. Just being able to gravitate towards us and everybody in the community is great. Bringing us all together."
