One day after Angel Reese was suspended one game by the WNBA, the Chicago Sky added another half-game to her sentence.
Reese will not play in the first half of Chicago’s road game Sunday against the Las Vegas Aces due to “statements detrimental to the team” she made in an interview with the Chicago Tribune.
“The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect and well-being of every player,” the team said in a statement. “We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball.”
Reese’s team suspension doesn’t kick in until Sunday because she is forced to sit out Friday’s game at the Indiana Fever after accumulating her eighth technical foul of the season.
As for the comments in question, the All-Star forward spoke to the Tribune about the upcoming offseason. Frustrated that the Sky will miss the playoffs for the second straight year since she was drafted in 2024, she said she wasn’t “settling for the same (expletive) we did this year.”
“We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me,” Reese said. “I’m willing and wanting to play with the best. And however I can help to get the best here, that’s what I’m going to do this offseason. So it’s going to be very, very important this offseason to make sure we attract the best of the best because we can’t settle for what we have this year.”
Reese went on to say that she’d like to spend her full professional career in Chicago, “but if things don’t pan out, obviously I might have to move in a different direction and do what’s best for me.”
Reese apologized to her teammates and coaches and said during a press conference that she needed to choose better language to express her disappointment.
Reese, 23, is averaging 14.7 points and a league-leading 12.6 rebounds in 30 games (all starts) this season. Her 23 double-doubles also top the league.
–Field Level Media
