Harold’s Chicken, the chain that counts legions of fans, many in Chicago’s Black community, has yet a new supporter in Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese, one of the most high-profile NCAA players in recent years. In a press conference earlier this week, Reese, also known as “Bayou Barbie,” says she’s impressed by Harold’s Chicken: “Harold’s Chicken is bussin’, I ain’t going to lie to you,” Reese says.
The Baltimore native also mentions Hiphop Chicken, adding that she’s a “foodie” looking for the best places around Chicago. Fans began flooding social media with Chicago restaurant recs.
The Chicago Sky nabbed a pair of first-round picks in April’s WNBA draft with University of South Carolina star Kamila Cardosa and Reese. Cardoza, the No. 2 pick, is a national champion, and Reese made waves after LSU Tigers defeated superstar and No. 1 pick Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Hawkeyes in the 2023 NCAA title game.
College athletes’s diets have been restricted by what their meal plans can afford, but in recent years that world has been reshaped by changes to rules, which allow college players to take endorsement money.
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Clark, the WNBA’s No. 1 pick, showed poise in April at a press conference in Cleveland — the Final Four’s host city. Reporters attempted to bait her by asking her about what she thought of Cleveland, which presumably would include its restaurants and cultural amenities. They wanted to contrast Clark versus former Chicago Bulls star Joakim Noah’s famous 2010 rant about “what’s so good about Cleveland,” a tirade that’s been the source of many laughs for those outside Cuyohoga County. This was Clark’s first visit, and she said it was “awesome.”
Of course, Noah, the son of a French professional tennis player and Swedish beauty pageant winner, might have a slightly different worldview from Clark, who was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. Busy college kids don’t have much time to explore. That’s something Alinea co-owner Nick Kokonas took note of in 2019 when offering up his three-Michelin-starred restaurant to celebrate the Clemson football squad’s national championship.