NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – A familiar basketball name is coming back to Louisiana.
The New Orleans Pelicans have signed Julian Reese, the younger brother of former LSU star Angel Reese, to a two-way contract, according to NBA transaction information Thursday. NBA.com now lists Reese as a forward for New Orleans.
Reese, 23, is a 6-foot-9 forward who played four seasons at Maryland before beginning his professional career.
He spent part of last season with the Washington Wizards, appearing in 13 games and making 10 starts. Reese averaged 11.8 points and 10.5 rebounds per game during that stretch.
Washington originally signed Reese to a two-way contract in February after he began the season in the NBA G League. He was later traded to Denver in August and waived by the Nuggets before agreeing to the deal with New Orleans.
Atlanta Dream forward Angel Reese (5) reacts to scoring with teammate Rhyne Howard (10) during the second half of a WNBA basketball game against the Dallas Wings in Arlington, Texas, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. (AP Photo/LM Otero)(LM Otero | AP Photo/LM Otero)
At Maryland, Reese averaged 11.1 points and 7.6 rebounds across 134 career games. He finished his college career second on the Terrapins’ all-time rebounding list with 1,015 rebounds and became one of only two players in program history to record at least 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.
Julian grew up playing basketball with his older sister Angel, who later became one of the biggest stars in LSU women’s basketball history. The siblings have previously talked about their competitive childhood games against each other in Baltimore.
Angel Reese helped LSU win the 2023 national championship before entering the WNBA.
The Pelicans connection brings the Reese family back into the Louisiana basketball spotlight.
Under a two-way contract, Julian Reese can split time between the Pelicans and the organization’s NBA G League affiliate, the Laketown Squadron, which begins its first season in Kenner this fall at the Pontchartrain Center.
See a spelling or grammar error in our story? Click Here to report it. Please include the headline.
Subscribe to the Fox 8 YouTube channel.
Copyright 2026 WVUE. All rights reserved.