The Brisbane Bullets have secured WNBA superstar Angel Reese as an investor in their bid to bring a women’s WNBL franchise to Brisbane, with the announcement landing on the same day the club confirmed former Sydney Kings head coach Will Weaver as president of basketball operations and head coach.
Reese, 23, joins Bullets owners Jason Levien and Ben Haan in the ownership group pursuing the WNBL’s 10th franchise licence. If the bid succeeds, the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall — the Bullets’ alternate home venue — would host selected WNBL fixtures, with Nissan Arena in Nathan serving as the primary venue.
The announcement caps a significant week for the club, which named Weaver head coach on the same day. Weaver led the Sydney Kings to the 2019–20 regular season minor premiership before the NBL suspended finals amid COVID-19 concerns. He subsequently worked as an assistant with the Houston Rockets, served as head coach of Paris Basketball and held further NBA roles before the Bullets secured his signature.
Who Is Angel Reese and Why Does It Matter for Brisbane
Reese averaged 14.7 points, a league-leading 12.6 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game for the Chicago Sky in 2025, earning her second WNBA All-Star selection.Her profile extends well beyond the court.
In 2024, Reese joined the ownership group of United Soccer League club DC Power FC and later joined the ownership group behind women’s sports brand TOGETHXR. In 2023, she founded the Angel C. Reese Foundation, dedicated to empowering girls and women through sport, education and financial literacy.
Her connection to Australia deepened during a recent visit with Reebok to launch new colourways of her signature Angel Reese 1 basketball shoe. Reebok also confirmed its role as the official footwear partner of the WNBL for the WNBL27 season beginning in late 2026.
What the Brisbane Bullets Are Bidding For
The WNBL plans to expand from eight to ten teams, with Tasmania already confirmed as the league’s ninth club ahead of WNBL27. The Bullets are seeking the tenth licence.
The Brisbane Bullets are one of the NBL’s foundation clubs, having competed since 1979 and won three national championships in 1985, 1987 and 2007. The club returned to the NBL in 2016 after financial difficulties forced it to relinquish its licence in 2008. Despite the club’s storied history, the Bullets have struggled since their return, finishing last in the most recent season with a 6–27 record after a series of injuries to key players.
A successful WNBL bid adds a women’s team to the Bullets’ programme and brings a top flight women’s basketball club back to South East Queensland for the first time since the Logan Thunder.
Why This Matters for Sandgate, Boondall and Brisbane’s Northside
Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Boondall sits at the centre of Brisbane’s northern bayside community and draws audiences from Sandgate, Deagon, Brighton, Bracken Ridge and across the Moreton Bay corridor. When the Bullets bring their alternate fixtures to Boondall, northside residents already make the trip. A WNBL franchise with games at the same venue would extend that calendar and bring professional women’s basketball to the community’s doorstep.
Bullets CEO Malcolm Watts described Reese’s involvement as a major asset for the bid. Watts said Reese had proven there was no ceiling for female athletes and that basketball was Queensland’s fastest-growing sport. The club sees her international profile as a direct tool for growing participation among young Queenslanders, particularly girls picking up a basketball for the first time.
For Sandgate and Boondall residents, a women’s team at Brisbane Entertainment Centre means professional basketball in their own backyard — not a drive to Nathan or the CBD.
More information on the Brisbane Bullets is available at brisbanebullets.com.au.
Published 12-March-2026.
