Analyst Criticizes Sky's Angel Reese Decision
Chicago Sky power forward Angel Reese has been receiving backlash for her statements towards her teammates following the 88-64 win over the Connecticut Sun last week.
The two-time WNBA All-star said that she will not settle with the kind of performance the team has shown this year. The Sky are 10-32 and are sitting at the second last spot in the table this season.
Reese wants to play with the best and urged the franchise to acquire some firepower in the offseason while offering help to do so. She also hinted that she would not mind moving to some other franchise if things don't go her way.
The 2024 WNBA rebounding leader apologized for her words the very next day and thanked her teammates for being there with her through thick and thin. The Sky released an statement on Saturday announcing a half-game suspension for the superstar power forward.
WNBA analyst Callie Fin appeared on the "WNBA on NBC" YouTube channel and lashed out at the Sky organization for their decision. She quoted Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray, who plays with Reese in the Unrivaled Basketball League for Rose BC.
Gray appreciated Reese and said she can go as a a post player when she plays with a good guard and has progressively gotten better. Fin believes that Gray's endorsement of Reese has ended up proving to be kind of prophetic for what we're dealing with now.
"You are seeing Angel, she wants to have that consistent level of like, excellent point guard play," Find said. "She wants that to be a priority from the Sky organization. And she was doing it in a way that was very like blunt, which is on par with what a lot of people who played with her appreciate, you know, like she's gonna be blunt."
"It didn't rub me the right way that ended up resulting in a suspension for her because the Sky GM also openly critiqued her, I think, the same publication earlier this season, saying that she needed to play better. That's not standard either."
Fin added that the franchise could have dealt with it better and even though Reese took accountability for her words, the Sky threw her under the bus.
Reese did not play in the second half against the Aces either, making it two missed games in a row. She is questionable for the Sky's Tuesday clash against the Aces as well, citing a back issue. Chicago is already out of the playoff race for the second-straight season with Reese. It won't be surprising if the two parties part ways in the offseason.
Nishant is a sports writer with over four years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and soccer. He has bylines in several reputable digital media platforms, including Sportskeeda, Athlon Sports, Pro Football & Sports Network, and PinkVilla. He's known for delivering insightful and engaging coverage on everything, turning game-day grit into punchy storytelling.