Sky's Angel Reese Leading the League Despite Injury

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese has barely been out there but she's still leading the league in a key stat.

Jul 12, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) grabs a rebound against the Minnesota Lynx during the first half of a WNBA game at Wintrust Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images / Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese loves a lot of things. She loves fashion, she loves seeing her teammates thrive, and of course, she loves being out there on the court. 

Lately, however, she hasn’t been able to. 

A nagging back injury has forced Reese to put on one of her designer outfits and watch from the bench. With just two games under her belt since the All-Star break, she hasn’t had much of a chance to increase her total rebounding lead.

Her fellow bigs watched Reese on the sidelines and did their best to take advantage. But even with them playing their A game, they haven’t been able to overtake her. 

Rebounding leaderboard

Angel Reese: 289 
Aliyah Boston: 269 
A’ja Wilson: 268 
Azura Stevens: 259
Kiki Iriafen: 257
Dearica Hamby: 249 
Nneka Ogwumike: 231 
Brionna Jones: 229
Natasha Howard: 229
Kamilla Cardoso: 226

Reese’s dominance on the glass stretches to offensive rebounding too, as she still leads the league with 89. Overall, her 12.5 a night is head and shoulders above everyone else as well.

Jul 6, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese (5) comes down with the rebound in a pack of Minnesota Lynx players in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images / Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Players such as Howard and Boston have played ten more games. Also, in the case of Boston, she’s logged close to 300 more minutes, 990 to 708. 

Unfortunately for Reese, however, she’s bound to get caught if she continues to rack up the DNPs. According to head coach Tyler Marsh, their two-time All-Star is considered day-to-day and doesn’t have a firm timetable on her return. He also revealed that, since back injuries can be tricky, the team will not push Reese and will simply wait until she’s fully healthy and ready to go. 

When her back allows her, don’t expect Reese to be unwilling to bang on the inside. In her most recent game, which took place on July 29th and resulted in a 17-point loss to the Washington Mystics, Reese balled out. She scored 22 points and grabbed 13 boards. 

Currently, with her health up in the air, the Sky could decide to place their franchise player on ice for the rest of the season. With just eight wins all year, the Sky have the second-worst record in the W, only behind the Connecticut Sun. 

Still, whether she's eventually passed or not, the fact that she held on for this long is incredibly impressive.

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