Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese is one of the most popular players in the WNBA and has always been a headliner since her college days at LSU. As such, she is a media magnet, with reporters and members of the press always looking to get her say on various topics.
However, Reese doesn’t like the media as much as they do her. Speaking on her podcast, Angel admitted that she is scared to face the media because they operate in such a manner that what she always says gets twisted.
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Because of that, she said that she’d rather pay the WNBA the penalty for not speaking to the media than face them.
“Seriously, I’d rather take the fine sometimes rather than talking to the media because it always gets flipped,” Reese said during the episode released last Thursday. “And I think that’s where media has gotten these days. Like you could literally post that the sky was blue and Angel said that s—t is too dark. Stuff like that. For me, the media is really scary. That’s why I have never been on anybody else’s podcast. I’m scared to do stuff like that because I know how things could get flipped.”
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Reese was fined $1,000 last year for not speaking to reporters
Well, this probably explains why Angel skipped her exit interview after the Sky’s final regular-season game. Although exit interviews are voluntary and players are not obliged to appear, it’s an annual tradition not only in the WNBA but also in the NBA, where every player is expected to be present.
In Angel’s case, however, it wasn’t just her who cancelled her exit interview; it was also teammates Courtney Vandersloot and Ariel Atkins. It’s worth noting, though, that the three conducted individual exit interviews after the team schedule.
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Last year, Reese was also fined $1,000 by the WNBA after she skipped the post-game press conference of the Sky’s June 1, 2024, game against the Indiana Fever. In that game, the Sky’s Chennedy Carter committed a hard foul on Caitlin Clark, which earned her a Flagrant Foul one call. Reese was seen by TV cameras applauding the foul. Probably wanting to avoid controversy, she did not talk to reporters after the game.
Reese was suspended after making comments against the Sky
Right before the Sky’s 2025 WNBA season concluded, Angel was also suspended for one half by her own team for making a “statement detrimental to the team.”
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This happened after Reese was interviewed by The Chicago Tribune about her future plans and she answered by saying she won’t tolerate losing again and might finish her career with another team if the Sky do not address their roster concerns this offseason.
“I’m not settling for the same s— we did this year. We have to get good players. We have to get great players. That’s non-negotiable to me,”said Reese. “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.”
Angel’s statement may be politically wrong, but it’s hard to blame her for her stand. She’s had experiences with the media that have gotten her in trouble – either fined or suspended. Although they were not necessarily at fault, Reese is just doing her best to avoid a potential brouhaha.
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This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Oct 19, 2025, where it first appeared in the WNBA section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
