The Chicago Sky announced that they will suspend mercurial forward Angel Reese during the first half of their Sunday, Sept. 7 game against the Las Vegas Aces owing to comments Reese made perceived as criticizing her teammates.
This comes on the heels of an unrelated one-game suspension Reese served on Friday, Sept. 5, an automatic ban from the league after receiving her eighth technical foul of the 2025 season, pushing her team-mandated suspension back one game.
Per the team’s statement, “The Chicago Sky values the safety, respect, and well-being of every player. We are committed to accountability so our players can stay focused on playing basketball. Because of statements detrimental to the team made by Angel Reese during league-mandated media, she will not play in the first half of the game on September 7 against the Las Vegas Aces. This matter has been handled and resolved internally, and we are moving forward as a team.
Chicago’s 10-31 record places them as one of the three worst teams in the WNBA. With the offseason fast approaching, Reese, already a two-time All-Star during her second season in the league, gave her thoughts to the Chicago Tribune for a column published on Wednesday, Sept. 3 on what the Sky need to do in order to improve next season.
Controversial Column
“I’m not settling for the same s−−− we did this year,” Reese said. “We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s a non-negotiable for me…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.”
Notably, Reese said she’s going to do what she needs to do in order to bring top free agents to Chicago, demonstrating her desire to help turn the Sky into a contender. She also hinted at leaving Chicago if the Sky don’t act accordingly, but doubled down on her commitment to the team while under contract.
“I’d like to be here for my career, 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 said. “But while I am here, I’m going to try to stay open-minded about what I have here and maximize that as much as I can.”
Finally, Reese expressed doubt at Chicago’s ability to court top free agents. The rest of the league might agree with Reese on that sentiment, as a July poll from The Athletic saw more than 40 percent of responding players rate the Sky as the worst-run organization in the league: Chicago currently practices inside a public recreation center while they wait for the completion of a new practice facility.
“We need great players, and I don’t know what will attract that,” Reese said. “But the priority is being able to convince [free agents] that this is an organization that is going in the right direction. Honestly, it would be a leap of faith for a great, great player to come here and show that this is something that they want to be a part of and we can bring that championship mentality.”
Did the Sky Overreact?
At face value, Reese’s comments don’t seem overly inflammatory: players on bad teams in other sports leagues make similar statements each season without drawing the public ire of their employers.
That said, Reese may have lost the benefit of the doubt after a reputation as a lightning rod for controversy dating back to her time in college. Reese leans into some of that controversy, namely her highly-publicized feud with Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark; other criticism she receives, often with misogynistic or racist undertones (Reese is a Black woman) isn’t deserved.
Hinting at a future desire to leave Chicago will draw attention — trade and free agent drama is the lifeblood of offseason sports media — but like any professional athlete trying to voice frustration with tact, Reese made sure to double down on her commitment to help the Sky win. As is often the case, there’s a middle ground in Reese’s latest controversy… but with her well-established reputation as a heel, fans, media and apparently even her own front office will jump to extremes.
Despite their stated desire to handle and resolve the issue internally, the Sky made a public announcement of Reese’s suspension, giving credence to accusations that they’re a poorly run franchise.
